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Natalism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 calledpronatalismor thepro-birthposition) is a policy paradigm or personal value that promotes thereproductionofhumanlife 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 there seems to be analmostuniversalpopulation declineassociated withcultural 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]

Motives

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See also:Population ethicsandReplacement fertility rate

Generally, natalism promoteschild-bearingandparenthoodas 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

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See also:Be fruitful and multiply

Many religions encourage procreation, and religiousness in members can sometimes correlate to higher rates of fertility.[6]Judaism,[7]Islam,and major branches ofChristianity,includingthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[8]and theCatholic Church,[9][10][11][12]encourage procreation. In 1979 one research paper indicated thatAmishpeople had an average of 6.8 children per family.[13]Among some conservative Protestants, theQuiverfullmovement 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 toabortionandcontraception,as well.[17]The 1968encyclicalHumanae Vitaee.g. criticized artificial contraception and advocated for a natalist position.[18]

Politics

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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[19][20]as well as thepolitical right.[20][21]In Europe, Hungarian prime ministerViktor Orbánhas made natalism a key plank of his political platform.[20]In the United States, key figures include Kevin Dolan, organizer of theNatal Conference,[22][21][23]Simone and Malcolm Collins,founders of Pronatalist.org,[19][24][22]andElon 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

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Further information:Fertility factor (demography) § Intention

An intention to have children is a substantialfertility factorin 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, theextended familyinfluences 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 ofMormonor modernIsraeli demographics.
  • social pressure from kin and friends to have another child,[26][29][28]such as overall cultural normativity.
  • social support. However, a study fromWest Germanycame 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

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Natalism inpublic policytypically 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 withpopulation declineoffer incentives to the people to have large families as a means ofnational efforts to reverse declining populations.Incentives may include a one-timebaby bonus,or ongoingchild benefitpayments or tax reductions. Some impose penalties ortaxeson those with fewer children.[37][28]Some nations, such asJapan,[38]Singapore,[39]andSouth Korea,[40]have implemented, or tried to implement, interventionist natalist policies, creating incentives for larger families among native stock.

Paidmaternity and paternity leave policiescan also be used as an incentive. For example,Swedenhas 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.[41][42]

Postcommunist

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Parking place for families with children, residential area.Tomaszów Mazowiecki,Poland

Russia

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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,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 theGreat Patriotic warthe 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 theUSSRin 1991 was accompanied by a large drop in fertility.[44]In 2006,Vladimir Putinmade 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

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Main article:Family policy in Hungary

The Hungarian government ofViktor Orbánin 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

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Natalism has been criticized on human-rights and environmental grounds. Mostantinatalists,malthusians,reproductive rightsadvocates and environmentalists see natalism as a driver of reproductive injustice, population growth, andecological overshoot.[34][29][37][28][48][31]In politics, journalists have linked the pronatalist movement withfar-righteugenics.[49][21]

See also

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Look upnatalismin Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^"natalism".Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.Merriam-Webster.
  3. ^"The new economics of fertility".Economist:65. September 17, 2022.
  4. ^Anthony, Andrew (2023-07-22)."'What if everybody decided not to have children?' The philosopher questioning humanity's future ".The Observer.ISSN0029-7712.Retrieved2024-02-06.
  5. ^Arand, Dustin (2022-11-29)."The Very Nice People Who Want Humanity to Go Extinct".Politically Speaking.Retrieved2024-02-06.
  6. ^"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.
  7. ^"Mishnah Yevamot 6;6".Sefaria.Retrieved2019-06-20.
  8. ^First PresidencyandCouncil of the Twelve Apostles(September 23, 1995),"Gospel Topics – The Family: A Proclamation to the World",LDS.org,LDS Church,retrieved2013-12-11.See also:The Family: A Proclamation to the World
  9. ^Pope Paul VI(1968-07-25)."Humanae Vitae: Encyclical on the Regulation of Birth".Vatican City:Libreria Editrice Vaticana.Retrieved2008-11-12.
  10. ^Pope Pius XI(1930-12-31)."Casti Connubii: Encyclical on Christian Marriage".Vatican City:Libreria Editrice Vaticana.Retrieved2008-11-12.
  11. ^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.Retrieved2008-11-12.
  12. ^Greguš, Jan (2019-12-20)."Catholicism and contraception".Česká Gynekologie.84(6): 468–474.PMID31948258– via Nakladatelské středisko ČLS JEP.
  13. ^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.ISSN0032-4728.JSTOR2173531.OCLC39648293.PMID11630609.
  14. ^Hess, Rick and Jan (1990).A Full Quiver: Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ.Brentwood, TN: Hyatt Publishers.ISBN0-943497-83-3.
  15. ^Dennis Rainey (2002)."The Value of Children (11 July 2002 FamilyLife Today Radio Broadcast)".FamilyLife Today. Archived fromthe original(Transcript of radio broadcast)on October 1, 2005.Retrieved2006-09-30.
  16. ^Campbell, Nancy (2003).Be Fruitful and Multiply: What the Bible Says about Having Children.San Antonio: Vision Forum.ISBN0-9724173-5-4.
  17. ^Bajaj, Nandita (2022-07-06)."Abortion Bans Are a Natural Outgrowth of Coercive Pronatalism".Ms. Magazine.Retrieved2024-04-18.
  18. ^"Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968) | Paul VI".www.vatican.va.Retrieved2024-02-06.
  19. ^abcdKirkey, Sharon (2023-01-27)."The new push for more babies: How tech elites think it will save the planet | Best of 2023".National Post.Retrieved2024-04-30.{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^abcdMartuscelli, Carlo (2023-09-11)."The populist right wants you to make more babies. The question is how".POLITICO.Retrieved2024-04-30.
  21. ^abcDel Valle, Gaby (2024-04-28)."The Far Right's Campaign to Explode the Population".Politico.Retrieved2024-04-30.
  22. ^abWilson, Jason (2023-09-04)."Revealed: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2024-04-30.
  23. ^"Home".Natal Conference.Retrieved2024-04-30.
  24. ^abDodds, Io (2023-04-17)."Meet the 'elite' couples breeding to save mankind".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved2024-04-30.
  25. ^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.Retrieved2024-04-30.
  26. ^abcdeNicoletta 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.PMC3576563.PMID23440941.
  27. ^Axinn, William G.; Clarkberg, Marin E.; Thornton, Arland (1994)."Family Influences on Family Size Preferences".Demography.31(1): 65–79.doi:10.2307/2061908.ISSN0070-3370.JSTOR2061908.PMID8005343.
  28. ^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)
  29. ^abcdeBajaj, 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.ISSN2398-5496.
  30. ^Neal, Zachary P.; Neal, Jennifer Watling (2023-08-14)."Childfree in a Family-Friendly Neighborhood".Contexts.22(3): 66–67.doi:10.1177/15365042231192502.ISSN1536-5042– via Sage Journals.
  31. ^abcDasgupta, 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.ISSN0098-7921.JSTOR26622829.
  32. ^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.ISSN1066-4807– via Sage Journals.
  33. ^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.ISSN0098-7921– via Wiley.
  34. ^abMerz, 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.ISSN0036-8504.PMC10515534.PMID37728669.
  35. ^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.ISSN1742-4755.PMC6134751.PMID30208896.
  36. ^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 fromthe original(PDF)on 2018-07-22.Retrieved2019-01-31.
  37. ^abBajaj, Nandita (2023-02-28)."Coercive Pro-Birth Policies Have Devastating Impacts on People and the Planet".Newsweek.Retrieved2024-04-18.
  38. ^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,ISBN978-90-04-49955-3,retrieved2024-04-18
  39. ^"Pro-natalism: Breaking the baby strike".The Economist.25 July 2015.Retrieved27 April2016.
  40. ^Onishi, Norimitsu (21 August 2005)."South Korea, in Turnabout, Now Calls for More Babies".The New York Times.Retrieved27 April2016.
  41. ^Brown, Elizabeth Nolan (2023-05-02)."Storks don't take orders from the state".Reason.com.Retrieved2024-03-20.
  42. ^Björklund, Anders (2007). "Does a Family-Friendly Policy Raise Fertility Levels?".Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies.3.
  43. ^Kouprianova 2013,p. 152.
  44. ^abKouprianova 2013,p. 153.
  45. ^Kouprianova 2013,p. 157.
  46. ^Kouprianova 2013,p. 158.
  47. ^Kingsley, Patrick (2019-02-11)."Orban Encourages Mothers in Hungary to Have 4 or More Babies".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archived fromthe originalon February 12, 2019.Retrieved2019-03-13.
  48. ^"Judith Blake on Fertility Control and the Problem of Voluntarism".Population and Development Review.20(1): 167–177. 1994.doi:10.2307/2137635.ISSN0098-7921.JSTOR2137635.
  49. ^Slawson, Nicola (2023-09-04)."First Thing: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists revealed".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2024-04-30.

Sources

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Further reading

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  • McKeown, John.God's babies: Natalism and Bible interpretation in modern America(Open Book Publishers, 2014)online.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Natalism&oldid=1240798736"