The Real Reason the World Is Running Out of Babies

Why are people around the world choosing not to have kids anymore?
From Japan and Italy to South Korea and the United States, birth rates are falling fast. Governments are spending billions on cash bonuses, free childcare, and long parental leave but nothing seems to be working.

In this video, we dive deep into the global fertility crisis. You’ll learn:
🔹 Why people are delaying or avoiding parenthood
🔹 How housing costs, gender roles, and childcare are part of the problem
🔹 Why policies in Taiwan, France, and others are failing
🔹 How optimism (or lack of it) about the future plays a hidden role

This isn’t just about personal choice. It’s about economics, culture, and what kind of world we’re building.

⏰ Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
01:27 – Why it’s a global problem, not just local
02:53 – What’s Causing the Fertility Crisis
04:35 – Why government money isn’t working
06:11 – Gender roles and the “motherhood penalty”
07:32 – Hope for the future: a missing piece

📚 Sources and research cited:
✔️ Japan Birth Rate: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/number-births-japan-hits-record-low-2023-2024-02-27
✔️ Italy Declares National Emergency: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italys-demographic-crisis-worsens-births-hit-record-low-2025-03-31
✔️ U.S. Fertility Rate Hits Historic Low: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2024/20240525.htm
✔️ Taiwan Fertility Spending: https://www.vox.com/23971366/declining-birth-rate-fertility-babies-children
✔️ Gender Pay Gap After Parenthood: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/motherhood-penalty-driving-women-to-have-fewer-children-q8z9khl66
✔️ Optimism and Fertility Rates: https://ourworldindata.org/optimism-and-pessimism
✔️ Global Fertility Rates Are Declining: https://www.ft.com/content/008a1341-1882-4b98-83d4-0d7dc08a4134
✔️ People Are Living Longer Than Ever Before: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2024/07/11/the-earth-s-population-is-expected-to-peak-before-the-end-of-the-century_6681604_114.html
✔️ Fewer Young People to Support Retirees: https://www.city-journal.org/article/review-of-work-retire-repeat-by-teresa-ghilarducci
✔️ Countries with Low Birth Rates: https://geographical.co.uk/news/depopulation-the-major-countries-with-the-lowest-birth-rates-in-the-world
✔️ Housing Costs and Fertility Rates: https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/housing-and-fertility
✔️ Childcare Costs and Fertility Rates: https://wol.iza.org/articles/fertility-decisions-and-alternative-types-of-childcare/long
✔️ Government Spending on Family Policies and Fertility Rates: https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Policy_responses_low_fertility_UNFPA_WP_Final_corrections_7Feb2020_CLEAN.pdf
✔️ Changing Values and Fertility Rates: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2807901
✔️ France's Investment in Family Policies: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2023/01/21/fertility-why-france-remains-a-model-in-europe_6012434_7.html
✔️ Impact of Maternity Leave on Women's Careers: https://hbr.org/2018/09/do-longer-maternity-leaves-hurt-womens-careers
✔️ Gender Roles and Fertility Rates: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/Series/Analytical-Series/new-economics-of-fertility-doepke-hannusch-kindermann-tertilt
✔️ Women's Earnings Drop After Childbirth: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/society/article/motherhood-penalty-driving-women-to-have-fewer-children-q8z9khl66
✔️ Men's Earnings Less Affected or Increase Post-Childbirth: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927537122001397
✔️ Unequal Childcare Responsibilities in Low-Fertility Countries: https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/why-european-women-are-saying-no-having-more-babies
✔️ Shared Parenting Linked to Higher Fertility Rates: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_burden
✔️ Cultural Expectations and Career Impact: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mommy_track
✔️ Societal Pessimism and Fertility Choices: https://popcouncil.org/insight/societal-pessimism-and-the-transition-to-parenthood-a-future-too-bleak-to-have-children/
✔️ Global Fertility Decline: https://ourworldindata.org/global-decline-fertility-rate

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