The "Zombie Myth" About Why Birth Rates Are Dropping

If birth rates are falling, is it really because people want fewer kids—or because they feel like they can’t afford them?In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt unpack the growing gap between “preference” and “choice” when it comes to starting a family. From the rising financial and social costs of raising children to the pressure of modern parenting norms, they explore why having kids today feels harder, even for people who say they want them. The conversation dives into everything from delayed careers and housing affordability to the hidden impact of social media, the “arms race” of parenting, and what we can learn from Quebec’s subsidized childcare experiment.The big takeaway: there’s no single cause and no single fix. But if we want a society where people can truly choose the family size they want, we may need to rethink everything from childcare and housing to culture itself.Research/links:Fertility Postponement, Economic Uncertainty, and the Rising Income Prerequisites of Parenthood – van Wijk and Billari (2024)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/padr.12624Fertility Incentives in Canada: A Cohort Analysis – Lee and Liu (2024)https://clef.uwaterloo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CLEF-075-2024.pdfThe Role of Social Comparisons and Intensive Parenting – Mahler, Tertilt, and Yum, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (2025)https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/5_Mahler_Tertilt_Yum_unembargoed.pdfNot Just Later, but Fewer: Novel Trends in Cohort Fertility in the Nordic Countries – Demography (2021)https://read.dukeupress.edu/demography/article/58/4/1373/174063/Not-Just-Later-but-Fewer-Novel-Trends-in-CohortWorkism and Fertility: The Case of the Nordics (2024)https://www.aei.org/articles/workism-and-fertility-the-case-of-the-nordics/The Effect of Family Fertility Support Policies on Fertility – Zhang et al. (2023)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10049131/Fertility trends across the OECD: Underlying drivers and the role for policy: Society at a Glance 2024 | OECDhttps://www.oecd.org/en/publications/society-at-a-glance-2024_918d8db3-en/full-report/fertility-trends-across-the-oecd-underlying-drivers-and-the-role-for-policy_770679b8.htmlWhy Americans Are Delaying Parenthoodhttps://www.prb.org/news/why-americans-are-delaying-parenthood/Canada is among countries with an ‘ultra-low fertility’ rate. What is behind the drop?https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/canada-is-among-countries-with-an-ultra-low-fertility-rate-what-is-behind-the-drop/World Happiness Report 2026 | The World Happiness Reporthttps://www.worldhappiness.report/ed/2026/She’s (Not) Having a Babyhttps://www.cardus.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Shes-Not-Having-a-Baby.pdfHosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinFunded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/