Empty Nurseries, Empty Futures?

A substantial segment of the nation’s political elite suffers from the birthrate blues. The birth dearth is suddenly a top-tier political issue.

“You can’t even pay people to have more kids,” says Vox.

The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson describes “The Radical Cultural Shift Behind America’s Declining Birth Rate.”

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Politico details “The political shockwaves of America’s falling birth rates.”

It’s not just the age of big families is over. Small families are disappearing too. According to the Pew Research Center, a majority—56 percent—of nonparents younger than 50 say it’s unlikely they will have kids, while 21 percent of childless women aged 18–34 say they never want to be parents.

The nation of more is fast becoming the nation of less as the baby boom has given way to a baby bust. And the trend is most intense in deep-blue metros such as Boston, Minneapolis and Seattle in contrast to their red-state counterparts such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Nashville.

You don’t need to be a moral traditionalist or a pro-natalist concerned about childless cat ladies to worry about this country’s plunging birthrate. Today’s baby dearth, if it persists, is likely to have far-reaching social and economic implications.

An aging, shrinking workforce is likely to slow economic growth and result in a less innovative economy. The country’s record-low birth rate means emptier classrooms and threatens the solvency of Social Security and Medicare. Worse yet, it means a weaker social support system, with fewer children to care for aging parents.

The birth drought is not, of course, a uniquely American problem. Fertility rates are falling in developed countries worldwide.

Why? Is this a product of a radical cultural shift, reflecting a selfish narcissism? Or is the explanation simpler: That young people want to have kids but can’t afford them—given the high cost of housing, student loans and childcare?

Clearly, the explanation is, at once, structural and cultural. On the one hand, it takes longer than ever—thanks to the need for advanced education and the slow entry into a stable career—to achieve an independent adulthood. There has been a decline in the number of “marriageable” men who are attractive partners. Balancing careers and family life is very difficult. Raising a child with disabilities—a big fear among the young—is extraordinarily challenging.

On the other hand, cultural factors are also at work: the belief that marriage is not the gateway into adulthood, but the culmination of achieving financial stability; negativity about the future; ever-rising expectations about what successful parenting requires.

Can public policy and incentives make a difference? Only at the margins. Neither generous parental leave policies, nor child tax credits nor cash incentives appear to make much of a difference. The single most successful government effort to increase the birth rate occurred in Nazi Germany, associated with a host of measures that one hopes would not be acceptable in contemporary societies.

I, of course, favor steps to make childrearing easier and more affordable: subsidies for IVF and day care; expanded early childhood education and afterschool programs; enhanced efforts to combat infant mortality and reduce gun deaths and car accidents—and, yes, expanded child tax credits and family leave and other family supports.

But, I should add, in the absence of a shift in cultural attitudes, such efforts are likely to have only a minimal impact.

For the fact is that this society, despite its claims to be child-friendly, is profoundly ambivalent about children. This society is profoundly age segregated, with a growing number of older adults living in senior-only communities.

When faced with a choice between an expanded child tax credit and other priorities, Congressional Democrats decided to make the tax credit temporary.

Despite mounting evidence about the deleterious impact of screens, smartphones, social media and pervasive advertising on young children, few restrictions are in place. And a major reason is that these distractions keep children out of adults’ hair.

Ours is a society that treats children not as a good in and of themselves, but more negatively, requiring very expensive investments monetarily and in terms of parents’ time. Instead of viewing childhood as an odyssey of adventure and self-discovery, American culture tends to regard this stage of life as preparation for adulthood.

It’s not surprising that older parents who have fewer children than in the past are much more risk averse than previous generations. But we must also recognize that “safetyism” comes at a steep cost, as the young mature and achieve independence much more slowly than in the past.

A century ago, Progressive reformers sought to make the 20th century the age of the child. To that end, they embarked on a decades-long campaign to abolish child labor, open kindergartens, and increase the proportion of children who attended high school from just 4 percent in 1900 to over half by 1950. Many colleges even created lab schools to serve as test beds for a truly developmental system of education.

Generational chauvinism has led us to believe that we are more enlightened and empathetic than our predecessors. But in terms of childhood, that’s not the case.

American society is not nearly as child-friendly or child-focused as it claims to be. Contemporary society subjects the young to various forms of psychological violence that we tend to ignore. First is what the literary critic Daniel T. Kline called the violence of expectations, in which children are pushed beyond their social, physical and academic capabilities, largely as an expression of their parents’ needs.

Then there’s what Kline termed the violence of labeling normal childish behavior (for example, childhood exuberance or interest in sex) as pathological.

Kline also spoke of the violence of representation, in which children and adolescents are exploited by advertisers, marketers, purveyors of popular culture and politicians, who feed parental anxieties and take advantage of young people’s desire to be stylish, independent and defiant, and eroticize teenage and preadolescent girls.

Then, too, there is the violence of poverty, which often takes the form of hunger, insecurity and family instability, and the violence—the prejudice, antagonism, stigmatization and suspicion directed against nonwhite children on the basis of their race or ethnicity.

Then, there’s the psychological abuse that comes from seeing children as objects to be shaped and molded for their own good. Contemporary American society is much more controlling of young people in an institutional and ideological sense than its predecessors.

An aging American society has become increasingly adult-oriented, with fewer free spaces for the young, a society in which youth are primarily valued as service workers and consumers.

No wonder that so many young adults have turned away from childbearing.

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While I would be the last to judge anyone for deciding to bear or forbear having children, I do think colleges could do much more to help students, staff and faculty raise children, foster a deeper understanding of the intrinsic value of children and childhood, and identify and promote the kinds of supportive policies that might make it easier to raise kids, including on-campus childcare centers, financial assistance for childcare expenses, family-friendly housing options, flexible scheduling and parental leave.

But let’s not forget academics: Campuses should offer more courses and seminars on the psychological, social and economic aspects of family and child development; conduct workshops on parenting skills, work-life balance and the value of childhood; and showcase experts in family studies, child psychology and social policy to discuss the importance of children and supportive family policies. Parent support groups, mentorship programs and family-friendly events make sense as ways to build a sense of community and provide support.

Also, establish task forces to identify and advocate for policies that support families, both within the institution and in the broader community, and work with local government and organizations to advocate for family-friendly policies such as affordable childcare, paid family leave and flexible work arrangements.

Research and data collection are also important if campuses are to understand the needs of student and staff parents, and use the findings to inform policy changes and resource allocation.

As we discuss the ways that colleges can create a campus culture of care, let’s do more to create supportive environments for students, faculty and staff to raise children by implementing family-friendly policies, promoting the intrinsic value of childhood and advocating for broader societal changes to benefit families.

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William Blake’s 1794 Songs of Innocence and Experience is a collection of poems that celebrates the purity, joy and simplicity of childhood. Blake underscores the inherent innocence and goodness of children, presenting childhood as a state of divine grace and untainted perception.

In one poem, “The Chimney Sweeper,” Blake contrasts the harsh realities of child labor with the rich imaginative life of a child. He suggests that even in the most dismal circumstances, children retain a sense of wonder.

In another poem, “The Echoing Green,” Blake depicts children playing joyfully in nature, with their playfulness and joy echoing the natural world’s beauty and vitality. This connection to nature emphasizes the natural goodness and simplicity of childhood.

We live in cynical times, and Blake’s Romantic conception of childhood—as a time of uncorrupted innocence, purity and wonder—strikes many of us as overly treacly and mawkish. Nevertheless, children and childhood do have an intrinsic value, and our society needs to do more to cherish this vital stage of human life.

For the fact is that childhood is a time of discovery and curiosity, where the world is seen through a lens of wonder. This sense of curiosity drives learning and growth, making childhood a period of profound intrinsic value as it shapes the way individuals perceive and interact with the world.

If anything, advances in understanding child development post-Piaget have made infancy and childhood even more wondrous, reflecting a growing appreciation for the interplay between biological, psychological and social factors. Recent insights into childhood as a critical phase of development and growth, physically, cognitively, socially and ethically, include:

• Lev Vygotsky’s emphasis on the role of social interaction and cultural context in children’s cognitive development.
• Information Processing Theory, which draws on advances in cognitive neuroscience to understand how attention, memory and problem solving develop over time, and how children encode, store and retrieve information.
• The Theory of Mind, which explores how children develop the ability to attribute thoughts, feelings and perspectives to other people.
• The development of executive function and self-regulation, the cognitive processes that allow children to plan, set and achieve goals, control impulsive behaviors, concentrate and pay attention, filter distractions, think flexibly, and regulate mood and behavior.
• Attachment Theory, which emphasizes the importance of early relationships with caregivers in shaping emotional and social development, and how attachment varies across cultural contexts.
• Dynamic Systems Theory, which views development as a complex, nonlinear process influenced by multiple factors, including biological, environmental and social elements that influence motor development, language acquisition and social behavior.
• Neuroconstructivism, which treats children’s cognitive development as a result of the continuous interaction between the brain and the environment.
• Embodied Cognition, which explores how physical activities, gestures and bodily movements influence children’s learning and cognitive development.
• Ecological Systems Theory, which examines how a child’s development is influenced by the different systems they interact with, from immediate family and school environments to broader societal and cultural contexts.
• Epigenetics and Developmental Neuroscience, which explore how gene expression is influenced by environmental factors and experiences, affecting cognitive and behavioral development.
• The complex interplay of genetics, environment and cognitive factors in language development, including the importance of social interaction and play in language learning, the impact of socioeconomic status, parental education, the amount and quality of linguistic input, and the cognitive benefits of multilingualism.

The experiences and lessons learned during this period form the foundation of a person’s character and worldview. This developmental journey is intrinsically valuable as it shapes future adults and, by extension, society.

In literature and film, children’s innocence and straightforwardness provide clarity and insight that adults often overlook. Children do offer a unique and valuable perspective on the world, often seeing things with clarity and simplicity that can be lost in adulthood. Children can reveal truths and prompt reflections that might otherwise be missed.

Children represent continuity, hope and the promise of progress. Without children, a society lacks the essential components that drive future growth, innovation and cultural perpetuation. Children embody hope and the promise of progress.

Children are bearers of cultural traditions, values and knowledge. Children contribute to social cohesion by fostering intergenerational bonds and encouraging a supportive community. Grandparents, parents and children create a network of care and emotional support.

The young are often the sources of fresh ideas, innovation and creativity. Their new perspectives challenge the status quo and drive technological and social advances.

Also, children inspire adults to strive for a better future. A society’s vision of the future is inherently tied to the well-being and potential of its children. Without children, there is no next generation to envision, plan for and build towards. Policy planning in areas such as urban development, education reform and healthcare is driven by projections about the needs and numbers of future generations.

Societies evolve ethically and morally by considering the impact of their actions on future generations. The presence of children prompts societies to reflect on their legacy and ethical responsibilities.

A society without children is one that lacks a clear vision of the future. Children embody the continuity of cultural and familial legacies, drive innovation and economic sustainability, and provide the social and emotional bonds that hold communities together. They inspire and motivate societies to progress morally, ethically and practically. Thus, the presence of children is essential—not only for the survival of a society but also for its ongoing progress and improvement.