For most of human history, having kids wasn’t much of a choice. Social expectations, lack of birth control, and limited autonomy for women presented a couple of options: Have children, or join a convent. But the 1960s ushered in a big change. With better options for birth control and expanded career opportunities for women, many people for the first time cou ... Show More
Apr 9
Episode Feature: ‘My So-Called Midlife’
We have a special bonus episode for the Raising Parents feed. It’s an episode of “My So-Called Midlife” by Reshma Saujani and Lemonada Media. Reshma Saujani is the founder of Girls Who Code. She’s written several books, including Girls Who Code, Pay Up, and Brave, Not Perfect. An ... Show More
36m 31s
Oct 2021
Does population control work?
A hundred years ago, there were roughly 2 billion people in the world. Today, there are almost 8 billion. This rapid quadrupling of the world’s population has people asking, is the planet overpopulated? Some say, yes. Others say that it’s not so simple.This isn’t a new question. ... Show More
24m 17s
Sep 2024
Why Are More Women Saying No To Having Kids? With Peggy O'Donnell Heffington
More and more women in the United States are saying no to motherhood. Alarmingly, in 2023, the U.S. fertility rate reached the lowest number on record. But the idea of non-motherhood is actually not a new phenomenon, nor did it come out of the modern feminist movement. For centur ... Show More
32m 4s
May 15
“I had 9 failed IVF attempts, now I’m happier without kids” - endometriosis, declining birth rates and what needs to change
In the start of our Future of Fertility series, we have guest Emma Kemsley on to chat about why she is childfree by choice. From thousands of failed IVF attempts, to severe endometriosis not taken seriously by doctors, Emma opens up about her journey through trying to have childr ... Show More
56m 17s
Nov 2024
Social infertility: What's behind falling birth rates?
The proportion of people without children is growing around the world. For some, this new reality reflects changing social attitudes and a desire not to have children, but for others, the decision has been taken out of their hands by a range of factors. The latest statistics avai ... Show More
26m 7s
Mar 2024
Birthrates Are Plummeting Worldwide. Why?
For a long time, the story about the world’s population was that it was growing too quickly. There were going to be too many humans, not enough resources, and that spelled disaster. But now the script has flipped. Fertility rates have declined dramatically, from about five childr ... Show More
1 h
Jul 3
#962 - Lyman Stone - The Real Reason Birth Rates Are Falling
Lyman Stone is a demographer, researcher, and a writer. It’s no surprise that birth rates are plummeting; raising kids feels harder than ever. Life is expensive, the future feels uncertain, and chaos is everywhere. So how do we reverse course? What would actually convince people ... Show More
1h 47m
Oct 2024
Why Paying People to Have Babies is a Billion-Dollar Mistake
SPONSOR LINK: https://ntn.so/EconomicsExplainedOverpopulation has been our biggest fear for decades, but now, shrinking populations are the real crisis. From aging societies to dwindling birth rates, countries worldwide are grappling with the risks of a declining population and s ... Show More
16m 45s
May 2024
Do I want children or does society want me to have children? with Laura Henshaw
You meet someone, you get married, you have children. Right? That’s been the status quo for so long that it can be hard to imagine an alternative. For so many people who don’t feel called to be a parent, that path doesn’t feel right. But if you’ve grown up in a world where everyo ... Show More
39m 10s