Natalism

Natalism (also called pronatalism or the pro-birth position) is a policy paradigm or personal value that promotes the reproduction of human life as an important objective of humanity and therefore advocates high birthrate.^[1]

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term, as it relates to the belief itself, dates from 1971 and comes from French: nataliste, formed from French: natalité, birthrate.^[2]

Just like there seems to be an almost universal population decline associated with cultural modernization, attempts at a political response are also growing. According to the UN, the share of countries with pronatalist policies had grown from 20% in 2005 to 28% in 2019.^[3]

Motives

Generally, natalism promotes child-bearing and parenthood as desirable for social reasons and to ensure the continuance of humanity. Some philosophers have noted that if humans fail to have children, humans would become extinct.^[4]^[5]

Religion

Many religions encourage procreation, and religiousness in members can sometimes correlate to higher rates of fertility.^[6] Judaism,^[7] Islam, and major branches of Christianity, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints^[8] and the Catholic Church,^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12] encourage procreation. In 1979 one research paper indicated that Amish people had an average of 6.8 children per family.^[13] Among some conservative Protestants, the Quiverfull movement advocates for large families and views children as blessings from God.^[14]^[15]^[16]

Those who adhere to a more traditionalist framing may therefore seek to limit access to abortion and contraception, as well.^[17] The 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae e.g. criticized artificial contraception and advocated for a natalist position.^[18]

Politics

Beginning around the early 2020s, the threat of "global demographic collapse" began to become a cause célèbre among wealthy tech and venture-capitalist circles^[19]^[20] as well as the political right.^[20]^[21] In Europe, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has made natalism a key plank of his political platform.^[20] In the United States, key figures include Kevin Dolan, organizer of the Natal Conference,^[22]^[21]^[23] Simone and Malcolm Collins, founders of Pronatalist.org,^[19]^[24]^[22] and Elon Musk, who has repeatedly used his public platform to discuss global birth rates.^[19]^[20]

The right-wing proponents of pronatalism argue that falling birthrates could lead to economic stagnation, diminished innovation, and an unsustainable burden on social systems due to an aging population.^[24] The movement suggests that without a significant increase in birth rates, the sustainability of civilizations could be in danger; Elon Musk has called it a "much bigger risk" than global warming.^[25]^[19]

Intention to have children

An intention to have children is a substantial fertility factor in actually ending up doing so, but childless individuals who intend to have children immediately or within two or three years are generally more likely to succeed than those who intend to have children in the long term.^[26] There are many determinants of the intention to have children, including:

the preference of family size, which influences that of the children through early adulthood.^[27] Likewise, the extended family influences fertility intentions, with increased numbers of nephews and nieces increasing the preferred number of children.^[26]^[28] These effects may be observed in the case of Mormon or modern Israeli demographics.
social pressure from kin and friends to have another child,^[26]^[29]^[28] such as overall cultural normativity.
social support. However, a study from West Germany came to the conclusion that both men receiving no support at all and men receiving support from many different people have a lower probability of intending to have another child, with the latter probably related to coordination problems.^[26]
happiness, with happier people tending to want more children.^[26] However, other research has shown that the social acceptability of the choice to have or not have children plays a significant factor in reproductive decisions.^[30]^[29]^[31]^[32]^[33] The social stigma, marginalization, and even domestic violence that accompanies those without children, by choice or chance, is a significant factor in their feelings of happiness or belonging within their communities.^[29]^[34]^[31]^[35]
secure housing situation,^[36] and feeling of overall economic stability more generally.

Concrete policies

Natalism in public policy typically seeks to create financial and social incentives for populations to reproduce, such as providing tax incentives that reward having and supporting children.^[29]

Some countries with population decline offer incentives to the people to have large families as a means of national efforts to reverse declining populations. Incentives may include a one-time baby bonus, or ongoing child benefit payments or tax reductions. Some impose penalties or taxes on those with fewer children.^[37]^[28] Some nations, such as Japan,^[38] Singapore,^[39] and South Korea,^[40] have implemented, or tried to implement, interventionist natalist policies, creating incentives for larger families among native stock.

Paid maternity and paternity leave policies can also be used as an incentive. For example, Sweden has generous parental leave wherein parents are entitled to share 16 months' paid leave per child, the cost divided between both employer and state. However, it appears not to work as desired.^[41] ^[42]

Postcommunist

Russia

Natalist thinking was common during Soviet times. After a brief adherence to the strict Communist doctrine in 1920s and attempts to raise children communally, coupled with the government-provided healthcare, the Soviet government switched to neo-traditionalism, promoting family values and sobriety, banning abortions and making divorces harder to obtain, advancing natalist ideals that made mockery of irresponsible parents. The expanded opportunities for female employment caused a population crisis in the 1930s, government had expanded access to child care starting at the age of two.^[43] After the Great Patriotic war the skewed ratio of men to women prompted additional financial assistance to women that had children or were pregnant. Despite the promotion and long maternity leave with maintenance of employment and salary, modernization still caused birthrates to continue to slide into the 1970s.^[44]

The end of the USSR in 1991 was accompanied by a large drop in fertility.^[44] In 2006, Vladimir Putin made demographics an important issue,^[45] instituting a two-pronged approach of direct financial rewards and socio-cultural policies. The notable example of the former is the maternal-capital program where the woman is provided with subsidies that can be spent only on improved housing or the education of a child (and can also be saved for the retirement). ^[46]

Hungary

The Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán in 2019 announced pecuniary incentives (including eliminating taxes for mothers with more than three children, and reducing credit payments and easier access to loans), and expanding day care and kindergarten access.^[47]

Critics

Natalism has been criticized on human-rights and environmental grounds. Most antinatalists, malthusians, reproductive rights advocates and environmentalists see natalism as a driver of reproductive injustice, population growth, and ecological overshoot.^[34]^[29]^[37]^[28]^[48]^[31] In politics, journalists have linked the pronatalist movement with far-right eugenics.^[49]^[21]

References

^ Cf.: McKeown, John (2014). "1: Natalism: A Popular Use of the Bible". God's Babies: Natalism and Bible Interpretation in Modern America. Cambridge: Open Books. p. 2. ISBN 9781783740529. Retrieved 2018-12-08. Natalism is an ideology that advocates a high birth rate within a community.[...] The central message is that parents should have additional children.
^ "natalism". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
^ "The new economics of fertility". Economist: 65. September 17, 2022.
^ Anthony, Andrew (2023-07-22). "'What if everybody decided not to have children?' The philosopher questioning humanity's future". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
^ Arand, Dustin (2022-11-29). "The Very Nice People Who Want Humanity to Go Extinct". Politically Speaking. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
^ "Do Muslims Have More Children Than Other Women in Western Europe? – Population Reference Bureau". Retrieved 2023-12-12. Women who report firm adherence to their religious beliefs and practices tend to have higher fertility than less religious women, whether Christian or Muslim. But religiousness does not always mean higher fertility. [...] The study confirms the perception that Muslim women have more children than non-Muslims in Western Europe, but shows that the gap is not as large as many believe. And, similar to other immigrants in other countries, Muslim fertility rates tend to fall over time, narrowing the gap with the non-Muslims who make up the vast majority of the European population now, and for the foreseeable future.
^ "Mishnah Yevamot 6;6". Sefaria. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
^ First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles (September 23, 1995), "Gospel Topics – The Family: A Proclamation to the World", LDS.org, LDS Church, retrieved 2013-12-11. See also: The Family: A Proclamation to the World
^ Pope Paul VI (1968-07-25). "Humanae Vitae: Encyclical on the Regulation of Birth". Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
^ Pope Pius XI (1930-12-31). "Casti Connubii: Encyclical on Christian Marriage". Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
^ Pope John Paul II (1981-11-22). "Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio: On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World". Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
^ Greguš, Jan (2019-12-20). "Catholicism and contraception". Česká Gynekologie. 84 (6): 468–474. PMID 31948258 – via Nakladatelské středisko ČLS JEP.
^ Ericksen, Julia A.; Ericksen, Eugene P.; Hostetler, John A.; Huntington, Gertrude E (July 1979). "Fertility Patterns and Trends among the Old Order Amish". Population Studies. 33 (2): 255–76. doi:10.2307/2173531. ISSN 0032-4728. JSTOR 2173531. OCLC 39648293. PMID 11630609.
^ Hess, Rick and Jan (1990). A Full Quiver: Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ. Brentwood, TN: Hyatt Publishers. ISBN 0-943497-83-3.
^ Dennis Rainey (2002). "The Value of Children (11 July 2002 FamilyLife Today Radio Broadcast)". FamilyLife Today. Archived from the original (Transcript of radio broadcast) on October 1, 2005. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
^ Campbell, Nancy (2003). Be Fruitful and Multiply: What the Bible Says about Having Children. San Antonio: Vision Forum. ISBN 0-9724173-5-4.
^ Bajaj, Nandita (2022-07-06). "Abortion Bans Are a Natural Outgrowth of Coercive Pronatalism". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
^ "Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968) | Paul VI". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kirkey, Sharon (2023-01-27). "The new push for more babies: How tech elites think it will save the planet | Best of 2023". National Post. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Martuscelli, Carlo (2023-09-11). "The populist right wants you to make more babies. The question is how". POLITICO. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
^ ^a ^b ^c Del Valle, Gaby (2024-04-28). "The Far Right's Campaign to Explode the Population". Politico. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
^ ^a ^b Wilson, Jason (2023-09-04). "Revealed: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
^ "Home". Natal Conference. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
^ ^a ^b Dodds, Io (2023-04-17). "Meet the 'elite' couples breeding to save mankind". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
^ Black, Julia. "Billionaires like Elon Musk want to save civilization by having tons of genetically superior kids. Inside the movement to take 'control of human evolution.'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Nicoletta Balbo; Francesco C. Billari; Melinda Mills (2013). "Fertility in Advanced Societies: A Review of Research". European Journal of Population. 29 (1): 1–38. doi:10.1007/s10680-012-9277-y. PMC 3576563. PMID 23440941.
^ Axinn, William G.; Clarkberg, Marin E.; Thornton, Arland (1994). "Family Influences on Family Size Preferences". Demography. 31 (1): 65–79. doi:10.2307/2061908. ISSN 0070-3370. JSTOR 2061908. PMID 8005343.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Carroll, Laura (2012-05-17). The Baby Matrix: Why Freeing Our Minds From Outmoded Thinking About Parenthood & Reproduction Will Create a Better World. United States: LiveTrue Books. ISBN 978-0615642994.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Bajaj, Nandita; Stade, Kirsten (2023-02-03). "Challenging Pronatalism Is Key to Advancing Reproductive Rights and a Sustainable Population". The Journal of Population and Sustainability. 7 (1): 39–70. doi:10.3197/JPS.63799953906861. ISSN 2398-5496.
^ Neal, Zachary P.; Neal, Jennifer Watling (2023-08-14). "Childfree in a Family-Friendly Neighborhood". Contexts. 22 (3): 66–67. doi:10.1177/15365042231192502. ISSN 1536-5042 – via Sage Journals.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dasgupta, Aisha; Dasgupta, Partha (2017). "Socially Embedded Preferences, Environmental Externalities, and Reproductive Rights". Population and Development Review. 43 (3): 405–441. doi:10.1111/padr.12090. ISSN 0098-7921. JSTOR 26622829.
^ Neal, Zachary P.; Neal, Jennifer Watling (2023-09-04). "A Framework for Studying Adults who Neither have Nor Want Children". The Family Journal. 32 (1): 121–130. doi:10.1177/10664807231198869. ISSN 1066-4807 – via Sage Journals.
^ Dildar, Yasemin (2022-02-23). "The Effect of Pronatalist Rhetoric on Women's Fertility Preferences in Turkey". Population and Development Review. 48 (2): 579–612. doi:10.1111/padr.12466. ISSN 0098-7921 – via Wiley.
^ ^a ^b Merz, Joseph J; Barnard, Phoebe; Rees, William E; Smith, Dane; Maroni, Mat; Rhodes, Christopher J; Dederer, Julia H; Bajaj, Nandita; Joy, Michael K; Wiedmann, Thomas; Sutherland, Rory (2023-09-20). "World scientists' warning: The behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot". Science Progress. 106 (3). doi:10.1177/00368504231201372. ISSN 0036-8504. PMC 10515534. PMID 37728669.
^ Dierickx, Susan; Rahbari, Ladan; Longman, Chia; Jaiteh, Fatou; Coene, Gily (2018-09-12). "'I am always crying on the inside': a qualitative study on the implications of infertility on women's lives in urban Gambia". Reproductive Health. 15 (1): 151. doi:10.1186/s12978-018-0596-2. ISSN 1742-4755. PMC 6134751. PMID 30208896.
^ Vignoli, Daniele; Rinesi, Francesca; Mussino, Eleonora (2013). "A home to plan the first child? Fertility intentions and housing conditions in Italy" (PDF). Population, Space and Place. 19: 60–71. doi:10.1002/psp.1716. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
^ ^a ^b Bajaj, Nandita (2023-02-28). "Coercive Pro-Birth Policies Have Devastating Impacts on People and the Planet". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
^ Fassbender, Isabel (2021-12-01), "Neoliberal State Politics of Reproduction: "Correct Knowledge" and Life Planning as Pronatalist Strategy", Active Pursuit of Pregnancy, Brill, pp. 166–197, doi:10.1163/9789004499553_007, ISBN 978-90-04-49955-3, retrieved 2024-04-18
^ "Pro-natalism: Breaking the baby strike". The Economist. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
^ Onishi, Norimitsu (21 August 2005). "South Korea, in Turnabout, Now Calls for More Babies". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
^ Brown, Elizabeth Nolan (2023-05-02). "Storks don't take orders from the state". Reason.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
^ Björklund, Anders (2007). "Does a Family-Friendly Policy Raise Fertility Levels?". Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies. 3.
^ Kouprianova 2013, p. 152.
^ ^a ^b Kouprianova 2013, p. 153.
^ Kouprianova 2013, p. 157.
^ Kouprianova 2013, p. 158.
^ Kingsley, Patrick (2019-02-11). "Orban Encourages Mothers in Hungary to Have 4 or More Babies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
^ "Judith Blake on Fertility Control and the Problem of Voluntarism". Population and Development Review. 20 (1): 167–177. 1994. doi:10.2307/2137635. ISSN 0098-7921. JSTOR 2137635.
^ Slawson, Nicola (2023-09-04). "First Thing: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists revealed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-30.

Sources

Kouprianova, Nina (December 2013). "Modernity and natalism in Russia: Historic perspectives". European Journal of Government and Economics. 2 (2): 149–159. doi:10.17979/ejge.2013.2.2.4293. hdl:2183/23366. ISSN 2254-7088. S2CID 142587197.