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Post by radovic on Dec 3, 2007 15:51:00 GMT -5
Croatia plans financial measures to encourage more births 03/12/2007
With a negative birth rate and an average age of 40, Croatia is facing a demographic crisis. The government is taking steps to encourage couples to have children. By Natasa Radic for Southeast European Times in Zagreb – 03/12/07
The birth rate in many European countries is alarmingly low. [Getty Images] The Croatian government is preparing a new legislative package that would encourage women to have more babies. The new financial measure is expected to be introduced at the beginning of next year.
The legislation will provide mothers with better financial aid from the government, to allow them to stay at home during the baby's first year. Currently, mothers in Croatia receive the lowest amount of financial aid of all of the countries in the region.
They do not receive their full salary while on maternity leave. Under the existing law, mothers whose salaries are higher than the national average receive up to 600 euros a month for the first six months of their leave. After that, the amount is cut in half.
Traditionally, women in Croatia stayed at home during their child's first year, but more now return to work after six months. This is likely due to the decreased aid.
According to the new government plan, women will receive their full salary while on maternity leave for at least the first six months. In the second six months, the amount will not be less than 70% of their salary.
Croatia desperately needs newborns -- the country's death rate exceeds the birth rate. There are 9.63 births per 1,000 people annually, and the death rate is 11.57 per 1,000 people.
Improving the national demography has long been a top priority for Croatian governments, but so far all efforts have failed.
Women tend to have smaller families, with one or, at most, two children. Families with three or more children are very unusual, especially in larger towns.
However, Croatia is not the only country facing this crisis. Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, San Marino (an independent enclave in central Italy with a population less than 30,000), Spain and Sweden have all developed official policies to promote childbirth due to low birth rates.
In Serbia last month, the firing of a pregnant woman sparked public outrage. The woman, who was head of the municipality of Knic, 140km south of Belgrade, was voted out of her job by councillors.
Serbian Human Rights Minister Rasim Ljajic called the firing a "violation of human rights and the right to work".
"The decision is unacceptable, a shame for a democratic society and for Serbia, which says it wants to be integrated into Europe," Women Network member Ana Bukva said.
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Zvone
Amicus
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
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Post by Zvone on Dec 3, 2007 19:59:29 GMT -5
In US you are lucky if you get 6 weeks much less 6 months maternity leave.
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Post by radovic on Dec 3, 2007 23:20:41 GMT -5
In US you are lucky if you get 6 weeks much less 6 months maternity leave. The better question, is will it be successful. Better measures elsewhere failed. In Italy in some areas similar measures did nothing while in Cyprus women demanded payments for previous births.
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Zvone
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Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
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Post by Zvone on Dec 4, 2007 14:11:59 GMT -5
I didn't ask a question, although I doubt that it will work. Only poverty stricken countries produce more children. Mostly because they can't afford contraceptives. In reality the government should just lower the minimum wage and reduce GDP per capita. Haha.
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Post by radovic on Dec 4, 2007 14:17:27 GMT -5
I didn't ask a question, although I doubt that it will work. Only poverty stricken countries produce more children. Mostly because they can't afford contraceptives. In reality the government should just lower the minimum wage and reduce GDP per capita. Haha. Government should do nothing. In some area in northern Italy (the richest area), the governments did nothing to increase birth rates -- the result is that since October the birthrate has increased.
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Zvone
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Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Posts: 525
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Post by Zvone on Dec 4, 2007 14:41:15 GMT -5
I think it's time to bring back good old Greek orgies.
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tyson
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Post by tyson on Dec 4, 2007 17:10:40 GMT -5
if the government gives a few thousand kunas to couples for each child born, croatian couples would be breeding like rabbits. the reality is that the government wont do it, because the IMF is breathing down the governments necks, and wont let the croatian government spend any money because the IMF wants their money back first.
thats the problem with croatia. because of its huge monetry debt, its IMF's bytch . and how is croatia going to get rid of its debt, i really do not know.
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Zvone
Amicus
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Posts: 525
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Post by Zvone on Dec 4, 2007 17:55:51 GMT -5
^ They return it by having more revenue than expenditures. Not necessarily more exports than imports. Decrease unemployment and create consumers. It could happen in the future, like when I'm dead.
Seriously, population can only grow through immigration in these 1st world or to some extent 2nd world countries. Do what the governments of Latin America did and send immigration scouts to bring back immigrants from parts of Europe. Make sure it's people from the North because we don't want no mocha nor coffee if you get my drift.
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MiG
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Post by MiG on Dec 4, 2007 20:49:20 GMT -5
It can only change if the govenment puts in initiatives for such an action, otherwise its all natural.
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Trazi Vise
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Today's "church" has NOTHING to do with religion.
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Post by Trazi Vise on Dec 5, 2007 4:36:41 GMT -5
This seems to be the case all over Europe unfortuanately. How about it MiG, you and I and the rest of the diaspora go back to HR, and err...well re-populate the country ?
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Post by radovic on Dec 5, 2007 12:15:57 GMT -5
if the government gives a few thousand kunas to couples for each child born, croatian couples would be breeding like rabbits. the reality is that the government wont do it, because the IMF is breathing down the governments necks, and wont let the croatian government spend any money because the IMF wants their money back first. thats the problem with croatia. because of its huge monetry debt, its IMF's bytch . and how is croatia going to get rid of its debt, i really do not know. It won't increase anything. Other countries have been far more generous and it did nothing to increase the population. In France and in parts of northern Italy their were small increases in the natural growth rate after government stop giving money. Furthermore what would really be a problem (in monetary terms) is if women wanted the payments to apply for previous births. The simple fact is that governments can't do nothing to increase births. In Serbia this year there was an increase in births -- it was not linked to any proposed or current attempts by government to increase population but to a campaign by the Orthodox church against abortions. If Croatia wants to increase births then i9t should be the Catholic church that leads the campaign, not the government.
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MiG
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Post by MiG on Dec 5, 2007 17:34:14 GMT -5
This seems to be the case all over Europe unfortuanately. How about it MiG, you and I and the rest of the diaspora go back to HR, and err...well re-populate the country ? LOL! Maybe we should. I'm planning to have 4+ kids.
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tyson
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Post by tyson on Dec 5, 2007 18:22:22 GMT -5
if the government gives a few thousand kunas to couples for each child born, croatian couples would be breeding like rabbits. the reality is that the government wont do it, because the IMF is breathing down the governments necks, and wont let the croatian government spend any money because the IMF wants their money back first. thats the problem with croatia. because of its huge monetry debt, its IMF's bytch . and how is croatia going to get rid of its debt, i really do not know. It won't increase anything. Other countries have been far more generous and it did nothing to increase the population. In France and in parts of northern Italy their were small increases in the natural growth rate after government stop giving money. Furthermore what would really be a problem (in monetary terms) is if women wanted the payments to apply for previous births. The simple fact is that governments can't do nothing to increase births. In Serbia this year there was an increase in births -- it was not linked to any proposed or current attempts by government to increase population but to a campaign by the Orthodox church against abortions. If Croatia wants to increase births then i9t should be the Catholic church that leads the campaign, not the government. the catholic church in croatia is telling people everyday in church to have more kids. believe me they are really trying to encourage people to have more kids
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Zvone
Amicus
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
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Post by Zvone on Dec 5, 2007 19:10:25 GMT -5
^ Especially since they don't believe in the usage of contraceptives.
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Post by radovic on Dec 6, 2007 10:02:31 GMT -5
It won't increase anything. Other countries have been far more generous and it did nothing to increase the population. In France and in parts of northern Italy their were small increases in the natural growth rate after government stop giving money. Furthermore what would really be a problem (in monetary terms) is if women wanted the payments to apply for previous births. The simple fact is that governments can't do nothing to increase births. In Serbia this year there was an increase in births -- it was not linked to any proposed or current attempts by government to increase population but to a campaign by the Orthodox church against abortions. If Croatia wants to increase births then i9t should be the Catholic church that leads the campaign, not the government. the catholic church in croatia is telling people everyday in church to have more kids. believe me they are really trying to encourage people to have more kids That's not enoigh. The leader of the Orthodox church in Serbia has been since the early 1990s every year on christmas and new years day called for people not to have abortions. something the catholic church does also. In late 2006 the orthodox church here launched a media campaign against abortion which was viewed as controversial by human rights groups, basically tyhey did several things: - Put up posters showing an aborted fetus. - Put commercials on tv showing a baby on a hospital screen and then putting the words "God gave us the gift of life. And we murder the unborn." As far as I'm aware no such or similar campaign has been launched anywhere else in the Balkans (although SOC supporters in FYROM have recently pyut up the fetus posters). It's not even that. In Serbia two major parties (SRS/DSS) tend to be anti-abortion. Given that the SRS and DS have such a large number of seats after the issue of Kosovo is solved they will probably make moves to have a constiutional ban on abortion.
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Trazi Vise
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Post by Trazi Vise on Dec 6, 2007 11:12:30 GMT -5
Stvarno si lud, ili trosis previse vremena u crkvu !
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MiG
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Post by MiG on Dec 6, 2007 19:46:54 GMT -5
^ No man. I want a bunch of kids. I wanted 8 at one point in time, but its down to 4, and I'm sticking to it.
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Trazi Vise
Amicus
Today's "church" has NOTHING to do with religion.
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Post by Trazi Vise on Dec 7, 2007 3:30:16 GMT -5
^^^Perhaps from 8 to 4 to 2 As a woman I couldn't imagine having more than 3!
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MiG
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Post by MiG on Dec 7, 2007 13:14:18 GMT -5
4 is where it's at. No less, maybe more, but no less. No arguing with the wifey over this. ;D
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Trazi Vise
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Today's "church" has NOTHING to do with religion.
Posts: 3,126
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Post by Trazi Vise on Dec 7, 2007 16:15:39 GMT -5
She's the one having the babies dude...good luck !
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