Studies over the past few decades have clearly shown that level of religious commitment increases fertility, and level of women's education decreases it. That simply doesn't mean, though, that we have to end women's education to attain a reasonable level of fertility. Among Orthodox Jews, women's education and work are very common, and coexist with high levels of fertility.
And yes, secular Jews in Israel have more children than do secular individuals elsewhere - but being a "secular Jew" in Israel isn't quite being "secular," as it is understood elsewhere. As noted, they tend to have more than the common numbers of children; they also participate in Jewish practices far more than do most "secular" folk, including paying some attention to the Sabbath. That is why Israel's average number of children per woman is well over replacement rate.
Yes, that all may be true, and maybe the beginning of a good discussion as to to square that circle. However that does not actually address my point which is that when we are in the middle of discussing the facts of an issue we cannot merely interject I want X as if somehow the fact that this person wanting X changed the facts or the logic.
It may be, and this is why I put the paragraph paragraph about but in there, is that we need to say or that we want to say here are the facts here are all the different causes. Here’s the way that we can get around this problem here by supporting it in that way there. But the evidence is clear that you cannot just continue doing what you’re doing and suddenly have a different result.
So whether it is the case as you seem to suggest that a high enough commitment to religion can overcome the problem that women’s education seems to cause, or whether it is the case that you propose something completely out of left field which this particular commentator didn’t do, you cannot merely say that the problem is women’s education but because I want women’s education that’s not a problem.
Studies over the past few decades have clearly shown that level of religious commitment increases fertility, and level of women's education decreases it. That simply doesn't mean, though, that we have to end women's education to attain a reasonable level of fertility. Among Orthodox Jews, women's education and work are very common, and coexist with high levels of fertility.
And yes, secular Jews in Israel have more children than do secular individuals elsewhere - but being a "secular Jew" in Israel isn't quite being "secular," as it is understood elsewhere. As noted, they tend to have more than the common numbers of children; they also participate in Jewish practices far more than do most "secular" folk, including paying some attention to the Sabbath. That is why Israel's average number of children per woman is well over replacement rate.
Yes, that all may be true, and maybe the beginning of a good discussion as to to square that circle. However that does not actually address my point which is that when we are in the middle of discussing the facts of an issue we cannot merely interject I want X as if somehow the fact that this person wanting X changed the facts or the logic.
It may be, and this is why I put the paragraph paragraph about but in there, is that we need to say or that we want to say here are the facts here are all the different causes. Here’s the way that we can get around this problem here by supporting it in that way there. But the evidence is clear that you cannot just continue doing what you’re doing and suddenly have a different result.
So whether it is the case as you seem to suggest that a high enough commitment to religion can overcome the problem that women’s education seems to cause, or whether it is the case that you propose something completely out of left field which this particular commentator didn’t do, you cannot merely say that the problem is women’s education but because I want women’s education that’s not a problem.