Researchers at the Heritage Foundation uncovered some of the underlying reasons why birth rates are plummeting in the United States and across the globe, which experts say forecasts a political and financial crisis. The most recent estimate predicts the average American woman will have one point six children in her lifetime, far below the rate of two point one required to maintain a steady population. The researchers found that cultural and technological factors as well as public policies play a role in shaping people’s decisions about whether to have children and how many.
The researchers found that government policies that unintentionally push people into paths that make having children less likely, such as subsidizing long-term education pathways, have greatly contributed to the birth rate decline. Creating a culture of life where marriage and families are not only promoted but celebrated is the key to reversing the “baby bust.”
