Natalism Explained

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.

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.[2]

Motives

See also: Population ethics.

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.[3] [4]

Religion

See also: Be fruitful and multiply. Many religions encourage procreation, and religiousness in members can sometimes correlate to higher rates of fertility.[5] Judaism,[6] Islam, and major branches of Christianity, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[7] and the Catholic Church,[8] [9] [10] [11] encourage procreation. In 1979 one research paper indicated that Amish people had an average of 6.8 children per family.[12] Among some conservative Protestants, the Quiverfull movement advocates for large families and views children as blessings from God.[13] [14] [15]

Those who adhere to a more traditionalist framing may therefore seek to limit access to abortion and contraception, as well.[16] The 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae e.g. criticized artificial contraception and advocated for a natalist position.[17]

Politics

See also: Political demography. Beginning around the early 2020s, the threat of "global demographic collapse" began to become a cause célèbre among wealthy tech and venture-capitalist circles[18] [19] as well as the political right.[20] In Europe, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has made natalism a key plank of his political platform. In the United States, key figures include Kevin Dolan, organizer of the Natal Conference,[21] [22] Simone and Malcolm Collins, founders of Pronatalist.org,[23] and Elon Musk, who has repeatedly used his public platform to discuss global birth rates.

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. 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.[24]

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.[25] There are many determinants of the intention to have children, including:

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.

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.[36] Some nations, such as Japan, Singapore,[37] and South Korea,[38] 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.[39] [40]

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. 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.

The end of the USSR in 1991 was accompanied by a large drop in fertility. In 2006, Vladimir Putin made demographics an important issue, 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).

Hungary

See main article: Family policy in 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.[41]

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.[42] In politics, journalists have linked the pronatalist movement with far-right eugenics.[43] [20]

See also

Sources

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Cf.: Book: McKeown . John . God's Babies: Natalism and Bible Interpretation in Modern America . 2014 . Open Books . 9781783740529 . Cambridge . 2 . 1: Natalism: A Popular Use of the Bible . Natalism is an ideology that advocates a high birth rate within a community.[...] The central message is that parents should have additional children. . 2018-12-08 . https://books.google.com/books?id=D5TbBQAAQBAJ.
  2. September 17, 2022 . The new economics of fertility . Economist . 65.
  3. News: Anthony . Andrew . 2023-07-22 . 'What if everybody decided not to have children?' The philosopher questioning humanity's future . 2024-02-06 . The Observer . en-GB . 0029-7712.
  4. Web site: Arand . Dustin . 2022-11-29 . The Very Nice People Who Want Humanity to Go Extinct . 2024-02-06 . Politically Speaking . en.
  5. Web site: Do Muslims Have More Children Than Other Women in Western Europe? – Population Reference Bureau. 2023-12-12. en-US . 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..
  6. Web site: Mishnah Yevamot 6;6. Sefaria. 2019-06-20.
  7. . See also:
  8. Web site: Humanae Vitae: Encyclical on the Regulation of Birth . Pope Paul VI . Pope Paul VI . 1968-07-25 . 2008-11-12. . Vatican City.
  9. Web site: Casti Connubii: Encyclical on Christian Marriage . Pope Pius XI . Pope Pius XI . 1930-12-31 . 2008-11-12 . . Vatican City.
  10. Web site: Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio: On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World. Pope John Paul II . Pope John Paul II. 1981-11-22. 2008-11-12 . Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Vatican City.
  11. Greguš . Jan . 2019-12-20 . Catholicism and contraception . Česká Gynekologie . 84 . 6 . 468–474 . 31948258 . Nakladatelské středisko ČLS JEP.
  12. Julia A. . Ericksen . Eugene P. . Ericksen . John A. . Hostetler . John A. Hostetler . Gertrude E . Huntington . Fertility Patterns and Trends among the Old Order Amish . Population Studies . 33 . 2 . July 1979. 0032-4728 . 39648293 . 255–76 . 10.2307/2173531. 2173531 . 11630609 .
  13. Book: Hess, Rick and Jan . A Full Quiver: Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ. Hyatt Publishers. 1990. 0-943497-83-3. Brentwood, TN.
  14. Web site: Dennis Rainey. 2002 . The Value of Children (11 July 2002 FamilyLife Today Radio Broadcast). dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20051001144025/http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/default.asp?id=5868&page=72&search=&strMonth=&strDay=&strYear=&guests=&keywords=&showType=. October 1, 2005. 2006-09-30. FamilyLife Today. Transcript of radio broadcast.
  15. Book: Campbell, Nancy. Be Fruitful and Multiply: What the Bible Says about Having Children. Vision Forum. 2003. 0-9724173-5-4. San Antonio.
  16. News: Bajaj . Nandita . 2022-07-06 . Abortion Bans Are a Natural Outgrowth of Coercive Pronatalism . 2024-04-18 . Ms. Magazine.
  17. Web site: Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968) Paul VI . 2024-02-06 . www.vatican.va.
  18. News: Kirkey . Sharon . 2023-01-27 . The new push for more babies: How tech elites think it will save the planet Best of 2023 . live . 2024-04-30 . National Post.
  19. Web site: Martuscelli . Carlo . 2023-09-11 . The populist right wants you to make more babies. The question is how . 2024-04-30 . POLITICO . en-GB.
  20. News: Del Valle . Gaby . 2024-04-28 . The Far Right's Campaign to Explode the Population . 2024-04-30 . Politico.
  21. News: Wilson . Jason . 2023-09-04 . Revealed: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists . 2024-04-30 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  22. Web site: Home . 2024-04-30 . Natal Conference . en.
  23. News: Dodds . Io . 2023-04-17 . Meet the 'elite' couples breeding to save mankind . 2024-04-30 . The Telegraph . en-GB . 0307-1235.
  24. Web site: 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.' . 2024-04-30 . Business Insider . en-US.
  25. Fertility in Advanced Societies: A Review of Research. Nicoletta Balbo . Francesco C. Billari . Melinda Mills . European Journal of Population. 2013 . 29. 1. 1–38. 10.1007/s10680-012-9277-y. 3576563 . 23440941.
  26. Axinn. William G.. Clarkberg. Marin E.. Thornton. Arland. Family Influences on Family Size Preferences. Demography. 31. 1 . 1994. 65–79. 0070-3370. 10.2307/2061908. 2061908. 8005343. free.
  27. Book: Carroll, Laura . The Baby Matrix: Why Freeing Our Minds From Outmoded Thinking About Parenthood & Reproduction Will Create a Better World . 2012-05-17 . LiveTrue Books . 2012 . 978-0615642994 . United States . 2012-05-17 . en.
  28. 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 . en . 7 . 1 . 39–70 . 10.3197/JPS.63799953906861 . 2398-5496 . free.
  29. Neal . Zachary P. . Neal . Jennifer Watling . 2023-08-14 . Childfree in a Family-Friendly Neighborhood . Contexts . en . 22 . 3 . 66–67 . 10.1177/15365042231192502 . 1536-5042 . Sage Journals.
  30. Dasgupta . Aisha . Dasgupta . Partha . 2017 . Socially Embedded Preferences, Environmental Externalities, and Reproductive Rights . Population and Development Review . 43 . 3 . 405–441 . 10.1111/padr.12090 . 0098-7921 . 26622829.
  31. Neal . Zachary P. . Neal . Jennifer Watling . 2023-09-04 . A Framework for Studying Adults who Neither have Nor Want Children . The Family Journal . en . 32 . 1 . 121–130 . 10.1177/10664807231198869 . 1066-4807 . Sage Journals.
  32. Dildar . Yasemin . 2022-02-23 . The Effect of Pronatalist Rhetoric on Women's Fertility Preferences in Turkey . Population and Development Review . en . 48 . 2 . 579–612 . 10.1111/padr.12466 . 0098-7921 . Wiley.
  33. 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 . en . 106 . 3 . 10.1177/00368504231201372 . 0036-8504 . 10515534 . 37728669.
  34. 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 . 10.1186/s12978-018-0596-2 . free . 1742-4755 . 6134751 . 30208896.
  35. Vignoli . Daniele . Rinesi . Francesca . Mussino . Eleonora . 2013 . A home to plan the first child? Fertility intentions and housing conditions in Italy . Population, Space and Place . 19 . 60–71 . 10.1002/psp.1716 . 2019-01-31 . 2018-07-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180722042217/http://www.ds.unifi.it/ricerca/pubblicazioni/working_papers/2011/wp2011_04.pdf . dead .
  36. News: Bajaj . Nandita . 2023-02-28 . Coercive Pro-Birth Policies Have Devastating Impacts on People and the Planet . 2024-04-18 . Newsweek.
  37. News: Pro-natalism: Breaking the baby strike . . 25 July 2015 . 27 April 2016.
  38. Web site: South Korea, in Turnabout, Now Calls for More Babies . . 21 August 2005 . 27 April 2016 . Onishi, Norimitsu.
  39. Web site: Brown . Elizabeth Nolan . 2023-05-02 . Storks don't take orders from the state . 2024-03-20 . Reason.com . en-US.
  40. Björklund . Anders . 2007 . Does a Family-Friendly Policy Raise Fertility Levels? . Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies . 3.
  41. News: Kingsley . Patrick . 2019-02-11 . Orban Encourages Mothers in Hungary to Have 4 or More Babies . The New York Times . 2019-03-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190212010634/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/11/world/europe/orban-hungary-babies-mothers-population-immigration.html . February 12, 2019 . 0362-4331.
  42. 1994 . Judith Blake on Fertility Control and the Problem of Voluntarism . Population and Development Review . 20 . 1 . 167–177 . 10.2307/2137635 . 0098-7921 . 2137635.
  43. News: Slawson . Nicola . 2023-09-04 . First Thing: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists revealed . 2024-04-30 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.

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