Why aren't people having kids anymore? (ft. Derek Thompson)
Are kids worth it anymore?
Hey folks,
I recently had a child. Or more accurately, my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl while I stood next to her giving words of encouragement like a tennis coach. It’s been almost 5 months since then, and I think it’s the most important and meaningful thing I’ve ever taken part in.
It turns out though, that having a kid (or multiple kids) is becoming increasingly uncommon. According to data from the CDC, the birth rate here in the states is on a steep decline. In the 60s, American families were having 3.5 kids on average, and today, we’re only popping out ~1.6. The “replacement rate,” which is the number all of the experts are concerned about, is 2.1, meaning one person has to give birth to 2.1 kids on average in order for the society that person lives in to replace its population (the 0.1 number compensates for kids who don’t make it to adulthood, and the fact that for whatever reason, the human race produces more men than women).
On today’s episode, I ask whether Noah and Devan want kids, as part of a conversation about why the birth rate is declining around the world. Then we hear from Anna Louie Sussman, author of the upcoming book “Inconceivable: The Impossibility of Family in an Age of Uncertainty,” about what’s actually causing the birth rate to decline, and then I have a heartfelt conversation with writer (and fellow dad) Derek Thompson.
(Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Others)
Preorder Anna’s book here, and check out Derek’s Substack here.
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