Birth Rates: Love, Commitment, and The Future of Baby Farms

Today's Financial Times https://lnkd.in/eZ-i3eXm article on the baby gap reports that government efforts to incentivize higher birth rates globally tend to fail.

Common explanations—though with no clear consensus in the scientific community—include women's increased education and career trade-offs, economic constraints, and safety concerns, particularly among lower-income families.

We want to highlight another dimension: relationships themselves seem to have undergone a fundamental shift among younger generations. In an age of Tinderisation, with an endless supply of potential partners, perhaps the understanding of commitment and the very concept of romance have changed.

Maybe many women today would agree to be fathers, but not mothers—with all the gender-specific realities that entails. Elon Musk would probably not be Elon Musk if he’d be the mother of 12 children.

For our theme of active ageing, should we consider a form of reverse mentoring, where the active-ager generation shares their perspectives on love, commitment, and family values with today’s youth? A conversation worth exploring.

And as so often, science might present another solution: the artificial womb. In light of recent progress in ectogenesis research and IVG (in vitro gametogenesis), the idea of baby farms may be closer than we think. Such a world would obviously bring ethical complexities and there is still a long way to go.

So in the meantime, perhaps there’s value in listening to the love stories and wisdoms of active agers…

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ageless-societies_agelesssocieties-ft-financialtimes-activity-7290662917635526656-ygEV?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop