Phenomenon of insufficient birth and educational system

Abstract

The most important problem of demographic development of Serbia is the fact that individual strivings, aspirations and responses accompanying the process of giving birth to children are not rational from the aspect of the needs of the society. Reproductive norms are low. The society did not even try, via its institutions, to exert influence on the formation of attitude about the desired number of children, or to largely alleviate a number of obstacles to their realisation. Facing the consequences of reproductive behaviour is a reality and definitely follows in the upcoming time as well. Is there a space for action undertaken by educational system as a part of political response with the aim of rehabilitation of giving birth? It seems that this space exists and that at least two measures impose themselves in that sense. Reduction of individual age at the end of school and population education. Postponing giving birth for later and later age is a very important cause of a very low fertility level in Serbia today. The reform of educational system might influence an earlier entering of parenthood by reducing the individual age at the end of schooling. Population education is imposed as a new direction of population policy, bearing in mind that an individual does not have enough specific knowledge. More or less, the relation between individual behaviour and macro-processes is not perceived, the consequences of unsatisfactory population tendencies, slow pace of demographic changes and their postponed effect are not recognised, one does not think about the preservation of national identity, culture and duration.