Uruguayan conservative politician and Catholic activistJuan Zorrilla de San Martín (1855–1931), surrounded by his family. Twice married, he fathered 16 children during his life.
Natalism (also calledpronatalism or thepro-birth position) is a policy paradigm or personal value that promotes thereproduction ofhuman life as an important objective of humanity and therefore advocates highbirthrate.[1]
According to theMerriam-Webster dictionary, the term, as it relates to the belief itself, dates from 1971 and comes fromFrench:nataliste, formed fromFrench:natalité, birthrate.[2]
Just like apopulation decline is observed in many countries associated withageing andcultural modernization, attempts at a political response are also growing. According to theUN, the share of countries with pronatalist policies had grown from 20% in 2005 to 28% in 2019.[3]
Generally, natalism promoteschild-bearing andparenthood 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]
Those who adhere to a more traditionalist framing may therefore seek to limit access toabortion andcontraception, as well.[16] The 1968encyclicalHumanae Vitae, for example, criticized artificial contraception and advocated for a natalist position.[17]
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 thepolitical right.[19][20] In Europe, Hungarian prime ministerViktor Orbán has made natalism a key plank of his political platform.[19] In the United States, key figures include Kevin Dolan, organizer of theNatal Conference,[21][20][22]Simone and Malcolm Collins, founders of Pronatalist.org,[18][23][21] andElon Musk, who has repeatedly used his public platform to discuss global birth rates.[18][19]
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.[23] 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][18]
An intention to have children is a substantialfertility 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:
the preference of family size, which influences that of the children through early adulthood.[26] Likewise, theextended family influences fertility intentions, with increased numbers of nephews and nieces increasing the preferred number of children.[25][27] These effects may be observed in the case ofMormon or modernIsraeli demographics.
social pressure from kin and friends to have another child,[25][28][27] such as overall cultural normativity.
social support. However, a study fromWest 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.[25]
happiness, with happier people tending to want more children.[25] 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.[29][28][30][31][32] 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.[28][33][30][34]
secure housing situation,[35] and feeling of overall economic stability more generally.
Natalism inpublic policy typically seeks to create financial and social incentives for populations to reproduce, such as providing tax incentives that reward having and supporting children.[28]
Paidmaternity 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 andstate. However, it appears not to work as desired.[40][41]
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 toneo-traditionalism, promotingfamily values and sobriety, banning abortions and making divorces harder to obtain, advancing natalist ideals that made mockery of irresponsible parents. When 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.[42] After theGreat Patriotic war the skewed ratio of men to women prompted additional financial assistance to women who 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.[43]
The end of theUSSR in 1991 was accompanied by a large drop in fertility.[43] In 2006,Vladimir Putin made demographics an important issue,[44] 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).[45]
The Hungarian government ofViktor 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.[46]
^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.ISBN9781783740529. Retrieved2018-12-08.Natalism is an ideology that advocates a high birth rate within a community.[...] The central message is that parents should have additional children.
^"Do Muslims Have More Children Than Other Women in Western Europe? – Population Reference Bureau". Retrieved2023-12-12.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.
^abcdCarroll, 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.ISBN978-0615642994.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
