This article was originally published in the Leadership and Happiness Laboratory.
Americans are having fewer children than needed to sustain the nation’s population. As our country ages and a smaller working-age population struggles to support a larger elderly cohort, we face looming challenges including labor shortages, increased strain on social safety net programs, and decreased economic growth. However, discussions on how to solve this baby bust often fixate on broad societal concerns and obstacles but neglect the much deeper psychological barrier: surveys indicate that most Americans do not view starting a family as an important life goal and don’t believe our society is better off when people prioritize getting married and having children.
Even if our nation dedicates itself to increasing birth rates with pronatal public policies and family-friendly workplace initiatives, these efforts to ease the path to parenthood will fall short if Americans don’t aspire to become parents. Therefore, tackling our demographic challenges requires a cultural transformation. We must cultivate a society that champions family formation by educating young Americans about its pivotal role in creating a meaningful and fulfilling life.
