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{{short description|Belief that promotes human reproduction}}
{{OR}}
[[File:Juan Zorrilla de San Martín7.jpg|thumb|Uruguayan conservative politician and Catholic activist [[Juan Zorrilla de San Martín]] (1855–1931), surrounded by his family. Twice married, he fathered 16 children during his life.]]
'''Natalism''' is the belief that [[human]] [[reproduction]] is the basis for individual existence.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} At a concrete level, the word is often used to describe government policies that are pro-birth, and aimed at increasing a country's population.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The term is taken from the Latin adjective form for "birth", ''natalis''.
'''Natalism''' (also called '''pronatalism''' or the '''pro-birth''' position) is a policy paradigm that promotes the [[reproduction]] of [[human]] life as an important objective of being human and therefore advocates high [[birthrate]].<ref name="definition">
Cf.: {{cite book |last1=McKeown |first1=John |title=God's Babies: Natalism and Bible Interpretation in Modern America |date=2014 |publisher=Open Books |isbn=9781783740529 |location=Cambridge |page=2 |chapter=1: Natalism: A Popular Use of the Bible |quote=Natalism is an ideology that advocates a high birth rate within a community.[...] The central message is that parents should have additional children. |access-date=2018-12-08 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D5TbBQAAQBAJ}}
</ref>


According to the [[Merriam-Webster dictionary]], the term, as it relates to the belief itself, dates from 1971 and comes from {{lang-fr|nataliste}}, formed from {{lang-fr|natalité}}, birthrate.<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|natalism}}</ref>
''Pronatalism'' is an attitude or an ideology promoting [[child-bearing]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} With emergent [[sub-replacement fertility]] and a corresponding [[demographic transition]] well underway in Europe{{Fact|date=February 2007}} and Japan{{Fact|date=February 2007}} leading toward smaller, older populations, some governments implement interventionist policies, incentivising larger families.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}


Just like there seems to be an [[Demographics of Israel|almost]] universal [[population decline]] associated with [[Modernization theory|cultural modernization]], attempts at a political response are also growing. According to the [[United Nations|UN]], the share of countries with pronatalist policies had grown from 20% in 2005 to 28% in 2019.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=September 17, 2022 |title=The new economics of fertility |journal=Economist |pages=65}}</ref>
In a [[New York Times]] [[editorial]], in 2004, commentator [[David Brooks]]<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/07/opinion/07brooks.html?ex=1260162000&en=ebdde83f03fe6d2e&ei=5090 "The New Red-Diaper Babies" - David Brooks, New York Times accessed 21 Jan 06]</ref> expressed the opinion that the relatively high birthrate of the United States in comparison to Europe could be attributed to social groups with "natalist" attitudes. The article is referred to in an analysis of the [[Quiverfull]] movement.<ref>[http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20061127&s=joyce The Nation accessed 21 Jan 06]</ref> However, the figures identified for the demographic are extremely low.


==References==
==Motives==
{{See also|Population ethics|Replacement fertility rate}}
⚫
<References/>

==External links==
Generally, natalism promotes [[child-bearing]] and [[parent]]hood as 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Anthony |first=Andrew |date=2023-07-22 |title='What if everybody decided not to have children?' The philosopher questioning humanity's future |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/22/pro-extinctionis-longtermim-effective-altruism-human-extinction-emile-torres |access-date=2024-02-06 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Arand |first=Dustin |date=2022-11-29 |title=The Very Nice People Who Want Humanity to Go Extinct |url=https://medium.com/politically-speaking/the-very-nice-people-who-want-humanity-to-go-extinct-2871594e1a78 |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=Politically Speaking |language=en}}</ref>
*[http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/news/050331a.aspx "Back to the Future: The Growing Movement of Natalism", CBN News]

===Religion===
{{See also|Be fruitful and multiply}}
Many religions encourage procreation, and religiousness in members can sometimes correlate to higher rates of fertility.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Do Muslims Have More Children Than Other Women in Western Europe? – Population Reference Bureau|url= https://www.prb.org/muslimsineurope/|access-date= 2023-12-12|language=en-US | quote = 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.}}</ref> [[Judaism]],<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Yevamot.6.6?lang=bi|title= Mishnah Yevamot 6;6|website= [[Sefaria]]|access-date= 2019-06-20}}</ref> [[Islam]], and major branches of [[Christianity]], including [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]<ref>{{citation | author= [[First Presidency (LDS Church) |First Presidency]] and [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|Council of the Twelve Apostles]] | date= September 23, 1995 | title= Gospel Topics – The Family: A Proclamation to the World | url= http://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation | work= LDS.org | publisher= LDS Church | access-date= 2013-12-11 }}. See also: [[The Family: A Proclamation to the World]]</ref> and the [[Catholic Church]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html |title= Humanae Vitae: Encyclical on the Regulation of Birth |author= Pope Paul VI |author-link= Pope Paul VI | date = 1968-07-25 |access-date=2008-11-12|publisher=[[Vatican Publishing House|Libreria Editrice Vaticana]] |location= [[Vatican City]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_31121930_casti-connubii_en.html |title= Casti Connubii: Encyclical on Christian Marriage |author= Pope Pius XI |author-link= Pope Pius XI |date= 1930-12-31 |access-date= 2008-11-12 |publisher= [[Vatican Publishing House |Libreria Editrice Vaticana]] | location =[[Vatican City]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_19811122_familiaris-consortio_en.html|title= Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio: On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World|author= Pope John Paul II |author-link= Pope John Paul II|date= 1981-11-22|access-date= 2008-11-12 |publisher= [[Vatican Publishing House| Libreria Editrice Vaticana]]|location= [[Vatican City]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Greguš |first=Jan |date=2019-12-20 |title=Catholicism and contraception |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338675420 |journal=Česká Gynekologie |volume= 84 |issue= 6 |pages= 468–474 |pmid=31948258 |via= Nakladatelské středisko ČLS JEP}}</ref> encourage procreation. In 1979 one research paper indicated that [[Amish]] people had an average of 6.8 children per family.<ref>{{cite journal | first1 = Julia A. | last1 = Ericksen | first2 = Eugene P. | last2 = Ericksen | first3 = John A. | last3 = Hostetler |author-link3= John A. Hostetler | first4 = Gertrude E | last4 = Huntington |title= Fertility Patterns and Trends among the Old Order Amish | journal= Population Studies | volume=33 | issue = 2 | date = July 1979|issn=0032-4728 |oclc=39648293 |pages=255–76 | doi=10.2307/2173531| jstor = 2173531 | pmid = 11630609 }}</ref> Among some conservative Protestants, the [[Quiverfull]] movement advocates for large families and views children as blessings from God.<ref name="hess">{{cite book|last= Hess|first= Rick and Jan |title= A Full Quiver: Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ|publisher= Hyatt Publishers|year= 1990|isbn= 0-943497-83-3|location= Brentwood, TN}}</ref><ref name="rainey_ref_2">{{cite web|author= Dennis Rainey|year= 2002 |title= The Value of Children (11 July 2002 FamilyLife Today Radio Broadcast)|url= http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/default.asp?id=5868&page=72&search=&strMonth=&strDay=&strYear=&guests=&keywords=&showType=|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20051001144025/http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/default.asp?id=5868&page=72&search=&strMonth=&strDay=&strYear=&guests=&keywords=&showType=|archive-date=October 1, 2005|access-date=2006-09-30|publisher= FamilyLife Today|format= Transcript of radio broadcast}}</ref><ref name="campN">{{cite book|last= Campbell|first= Nancy|title= Be Fruitful and Multiply: What the Bible Says about Having Children|publisher= Vision Forum|year= 2003|isbn=0-9724173-5-4|location=San Antonio}}</ref>

Those who adhere to a more traditionalist framing may therefore seek to limit access to [[abortion]] and [[contraception]], as well.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news |last=Bajaj |first=Nandita |date=2022-07-06 |title=Abortion Bans Are a Natural Outgrowth of Coercive Pronatalism |url=https://msmagazine.com/2022/06/07/abortion-bans-coercive-pronatalism-forced-birth/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Ms. Magazine}}</ref> The 1968 [[encyclical]] ''[[Humanae Vitae]]'' e.g. criticized artificial contraception and advocated for a natalist position.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968) {{!}} Paul VI |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae.html |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

=== Politics ===
{{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<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Kirkey |first=Sharon |date=2023-01-27 |title=The new push for more babies: How tech elites think it will save the planet {{!}} Best of 2023 |url=https://nationalpost.com/feature/pronatalism-reborn |url-status=live |access-date=2024-04-30 |work=National Post}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Martuscelli |first=Carlo |date=2023-09-11 |title=The populist right wants you to make more babies. The question is how |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-populist-right-want-you-make-more-babies-viktor-orban/ |access-date=2024-04-30 |website=POLITICO |language=en-GB}}</ref> as well as the [[political right]].<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Del Valle |first=Gaby |date=2024-04-28 |title=The Far Right's Campaign to Explode the Population |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/04/28/natalism-conference-austin-00150338 |access-date=2024-04-30 |work=Politico}}</ref> In Europe, Hungarian prime minister [[Viktor Orbán]] has made natalism a key plank of his political platform.<ref name=":6" /> In the United States, key figures include Kevin Dolan, organizer of the ''Natal Conference'',<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Jason |date=2023-09-04 |title=Revealed: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/04/natal-conference-austin-texas-eugenics |access-date=2024-04-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.natalism.org/ |access-date=2024-04-30 |website=Natal Conference |language=en}}</ref> [[Simone and Malcolm Collins]], founders of Pronatalist.org,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Dodds |first=Io |date=2023-04-17 |title=Meet the 'elite' couples breeding to save mankind |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/life/pronatalists-save-mankind-by-having-babies-silicon-valley/ |access-date=2024-04-30 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> and [[Elon Musk]], who has repeatedly used his public platform to discuss global birth rates.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />

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.<ref name=":9" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Black |first=Julia |title=Billionaires like Elon Musk want to save civilization by having tons of genetically superior kids. Inside the movement to take 'control of human evolution.' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/pronatalism-elon-musk-simone-malcolm-collins-underpopulation-breeding-tech-2022-11 |access-date=2024-04-30 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":5" />

===Intention to have children===
{{Further|Fertility factor (demography)#Intention}}
An intention to have children is a substantial [[Fertility factor (demography) |fertility factor]] in 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.<ref name=balbo2013>{{cite journal|title= Fertility in Advanced Societies: A Review of Research|author1= Nicoletta Balbo |author2= Francesco C. Billari |author3= Melinda Mills |journal= European Journal of Population|year= 2013 |volume= 29|issue= 1|pages= 1–38|doi= 10.1007/s10680-012-9277-y|pmc= 3576563 |pmid= 23440941}}</ref>
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.<ref name="AxinnClarkberg1994">{{cite journal|last1= Axinn|first1= William G.|last2= Clarkberg|first2= Marin E.|last3= Thornton|first3=Arland|title=Family Influences on Family Size Preferences|journal= Demography|volume= 31|issue= 1 |year= 1994|pages= 65–79|issn= 0070-3370|doi= 10.2307/2061908|jstor= 2061908|pmid= 8005343|doi-access= free}}</ref> Likewise, the [[extended family]] influences fertility intentions, with increased numbers of nephews and nieces increasing the preferred number of children.<ref name=balbo2013/><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Carroll |first=Laura |title=The Baby Matrix: Why Freeing Our Minds From Outmoded Thinking About Parenthood & Reproduction Will Create a Better World |date=2012-05-17 |publisher=LiveTrue Books |year=2012 |isbn=978-0615642994 |location=United States |publication-date=2012-05-17 |language=en}}</ref> These effects may be observed in the case of [[Mormons|Mormon]] or modern [[Demographics of Israel|Israeli demographics.]]
* social pressure from kin and friends to have another child,<ref name=balbo2013/><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Bajaj |first1=Nandita |last2=Stade |first2=Kirsten |date=2023-02-03 |title=Challenging Pronatalism Is Key to Advancing Reproductive Rights and a Sustainable Population |url=https://www.whp-journals.co.uk/JPS/article/view/819 |journal=The Journal of Population and Sustainability |language=en |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=39–70 |doi=10.3197/JPS.63799953906861 |issn=2398-5496 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> such as overall cultural normativity.
* social support. However, a study from [[West Germany]] came to the result 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.<ref name=balbo2013/>
* happiness, with happier people tending to want more children.<ref name=balbo2013/> 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Neal |first1=Zachary P. |last2=Neal |first2=Jennifer Watling |date=2023-08-14 |title=Childfree in a Family-Friendly Neighborhood |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15365042231192502 |journal=Contexts |language=en |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=66–67 |doi=10.1177/15365042231192502 |issn=1536-5042 |via=Sage Journals}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Dasgupta |first1=Aisha |last2=Dasgupta |first2=Partha |date=2017 |title=Socially Embedded Preferences, Environmental Externalities, and Reproductive Rights |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26622829 |journal=Population and Development Review |volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=405–441 |doi=10.1111/padr.12090 |issn=0098-7921 |jstor=26622829}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Neal |first1=Zachary P. |last2=Neal |first2=Jennifer Watling |date=2023-09-04 |title=A Framework for Studying Adults who Neither have Nor Want Children |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10664807231198869 |journal=The Family Journal |language=en |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=121–130 |doi=10.1177/10664807231198869 |issn=1066-4807 |via=Sage Journals}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dildar |first=Yasemin |date=2022-02-23 |title=The Effect of Pronatalist Rhetoric on Women's Fertility Preferences in Turkey |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/padr.12466 |journal=Population and Development Review |language=en |volume=48 |issue=2 |pages=579–612 |doi=10.1111/padr.12466 |issn=0098-7921 |via=Wiley}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Merz |first1=Joseph J |last2=Barnard |first2=Phoebe |last3=Rees |first3=William E |last4=Smith |first4=Dane |last5=Maroni |first5=Mat |last6=Rhodes |first6=Christopher J |last7=Dederer |first7=Julia H |last8=Bajaj |first8=Nandita |last9=Joy |first9=Michael K |last10=Wiedmann |first10=Thomas |last11=Sutherland |first11=Rory |date=2023-09-20 |title=World scientists' warning: The behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot |journal=Science Progress |language=en |volume=106 |issue=3 |doi=10.1177/00368504231201372 |issn=0036-8504 |pmc=10515534 |pmid=37728669}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dierickx |first1=Susan |last2=Rahbari |first2=Ladan |last3=Longman |first3=Chia |last4=Jaiteh |first4=Fatou |last5=Coene |first5=Gily |date=2018-09-12 |title='I am always crying on the inside': a qualitative study on the implications of infertility on women's lives in urban Gambia |journal=Reproductive Health |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=151 |doi=10.1186/s12978-018-0596-2 |doi-access=free |issn=1742-4755 |pmc=6134751 |pmid=30208896}}</ref>
* secure housing situation,<ref>{{cite journal |author= Vignoli |first1= Daniele |last2= Rinesi |first2= Francesca |last3= Mussino |first3= Eleonora |year= 2013 |title= A home to plan the first child? Fertility intentions and housing conditions in Italy |url= http://www.ds.unifi.it/ricerca/pubblicazioni/working_papers/2011/wp2011_04.pdf |journal= Population, Space and Place |volume= 19 |pages= 60–71 |doi= 10.1002/psp.1716 |access-date= 2019-01-31 |archive-date= 2018-07-22 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180722042217/http://www.ds.unifi.it/ricerca/pubblicazioni/working_papers/2011/wp2011_04.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref> and feeling of overall economic stability more generally.

==Concrete policies ==
Natalism in [[public policy]] typically seeks to create financial and social incentives for populations to reproduce, such as providing tax incentives that reward having and supporting children.<ref name=":1" />

Some countries with [[population decline]] offer incentives to the people to have large families as a means of [[Population decline#National efforts to confront declining populations|national efforts to reverse declining populations]]. Incentives may include a one-time [[baby bonus]], or ongoing [[child benefit]] payments or tax reductions. Some impose penalties or [[tax on childlessness|taxes]] on those with fewer children.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Bajaj |first=Nandita |date=2023-02-28 |title=Coercive Pro-Birth Policies Have Devastating Impacts on People and the Planet |url=https://www.newsweek.com/too-much-good-thing-pronatalism-killing-earth-opinion-1784197 |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Newsweek}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> Some nations, such as [[Japan]],<ref>{{Citation |last=Fassbender |first=Isabel |title=Neoliberal State Politics of Reproduction: "Correct Knowledge" and Life Planning as Pronatalist Strategy |date=2021-12-01 |work=Active Pursuit of Pregnancy |pages=166–197 |url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789004499553/BP000008.xml |access-date=2024-04-18 |publisher=Brill |language=en |doi=10.1163/9789004499553_007 |isbn=978-90-04-49955-3}}</ref> [[Singapore]],<ref>{{cite news | title=Pro-natalism: Breaking the baby strike |url=https://www.economist.com/news/international/21659763-people-rich-countries-can-be-coaxed-having-more-children-lazy-husbands-and | newspaper=[[The Economist]] | date=25 July 2015 | access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> and [[South Korea]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/world/asia/south-korea-in-turnabout-now-calls-for-more-babies.html| title=South Korea, in Turnabout, Now Calls for More Babies | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=21 August 2005 | access-date=27 April 2016 | author=Onishi, Norimitsu}}</ref> have implemented, or tried to implement, interventionist natalist policies, creating incentives for larger families among native stock.

Paid [[Parental leave|maternity and paternity leave policies]] can also be used as an incentive. For example, [[Sweden]] has generous parental leave wherein parents are entitled to share 16 months' paid leave per child, the cost divided between both employer and [[State (polity)|state]]. Unfortunately, it appears not to work as desired.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Elizabeth Nolan |date=2023-05-02 |title=Storks don't take orders from the state |url=https://reason.com/2023/05/02/storks-dont-take-orders-from-the-state/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Reason.com |language=en-US}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Björklund |first=Anders |date=2007 |title=Does a Family-Friendly Policy Raise Fertility Levels? |journal=Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies |volume=3}}</ref>

=== Postcommunist ===
[[File:Miejsce parkingowe dla rodzin z dziećmi na osiedlu Hubala I zarządzanym przez SM „Przodownik” w Tomaszowie Mazowieckim, w województwie łódzkim.jpg|thumb|Parking place for families with children, residential area. [[Tomaszów Mazowiecki]], Poland]]

==== Russia ====
Natalist thinking was common during the 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 to [[Neotraditionalism (politics)|neo-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 1930s, government had expanded access to child care starting at age of two.{{sfn|Kouprianova|2013|p=152}} After the [[Great Patriotic war]] the 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 the employment and salary modernization still caused the birthrates to continue to slide into the 1970's.{{sfn|Kouprianova|2013|p=153}}

The end of [[USSR]] in 1991 was accompanied by a large drop in fertility.{{sfn|Kouprianova|2013|p=153}} In 2006, [[Vladimir Putin]] made the demographics an important issue,{{sfn|Kouprianova|2013|p=157}} instituting a two-prong 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). {{sfn|Kouprianova|2013|p=158}}

==== Hungary ====
{{Main|Family policy in Hungary}}

The Hungarian government of [[Viktor Orbán]] in 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kingsley |first=Patrick |date=2019-02-11 |title=Orban Encourages Mothers in Hungary to Have 4 or More Babies |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/11/world/europe/orban-hungary-babies-mothers-population-immigration.html |access-date=2019-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212010634/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/11/world/europe/orban-hungary-babies-mothers-population-immigration.html |archive-date=February 12, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== Critics ==
Natalism has been criticized on human-rights and environmental grounds. Most [[antinatalists]], [[malthusians]], [[reproductive rights]] advocates and environmentalists see natalism as a driver of reproductive injustice, population growth, and [[ecological overshoot]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite journal |date=1994 |title=Judith Blake on Fertility Control and the Problem of Voluntarism |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2137635 |journal=Population and Development Review |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=167–177 |doi=10.2307/2137635 |issn=0098-7921 |jstor=2137635}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> In politics, journalists have linked the pronatalist movement with [[Far-right politics|far-right]] [[eugenics]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Slawson |first=Nicola |date=2023-09-04 |title=First Thing: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists revealed |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/04/first-thing-us-pro-birth-conferences-links-to-far-right-eugenicists-revealed |access-date=2024-04-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=":7"/>


==See also==
==See also==
{{wikt|natalism}}
* [[Child tax credit]]
* [[Tax on childlessness]] (Roman ''[[Jus trium liberorum]]'', Romanian ''[[Decree 770]])'' such as [[Bachelor tax]]
⚫
* [[Population decline]]
* [[Gender role]]

⚫
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}


== Sources ==
* [[Breeder (slang)]]
* {{cite journal |last1=Kouprianova |first1=Nina |title=Modernity and natalism in Russia: Historic perspectives |journal=European Journal of Government and Economics |date=December 2013 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=149–159 |doi=10.17979/ejge.2013.2.2.4293 |s2cid=142587197 |url=https://www.ejge.org/index.php/ejge/article/view/31/40 |issn=2254-7088|doi-access=free |hdl=2183/23366 |hdl-access=free }}
* [[Childbirth]]
* [[Sub-replacement fertility#The American exception]]
* [[Phillip Longman]] (author of ''The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity'')
* [[Population decline#National efforts to reverse declining populations]]
⚫
* [[Population]]


== Further reading ==
⚫
[[Category:Population]]
[[Category:Demography]]
[[Category:Political science terms]]


* Calder, Vanessa Brown, and Chelsea Follett (August 10, 2023). [https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2023-08/PA-955.pdf Freeing American Families: Reforms to Make Family Life Easier and More Affordable], ''Policy Analysis'' no. 955, Cato Institute, Washington, DC.
{{polisci-stub}}
* [[What to Expect When No One's Expecting|Jonathan V. Last]] (2013). ''[[What to Expect When No One's Expecting]],'' Encounter Books''.''
{{health-stub}}
* [[Bryan Caplan]] (2012). ''[[Bryan Caplan#Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids|Selfish Reasons To Have More Kids]],'' Basic Books.
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[[Category:Natalism| ]]
[[Category:Human population planning]]
[[Category:Philosophy of biology]]

Latest revision as of 06:18, 30 June 2024

Uruguayan conservative politician and Catholic activist Juan Zorrilla de San Martín (1855–1931), surrounded by his family. Twice married, he fathered 16 children during his life.

Natalism (also called pronatalism or the pro-birth position) is a policy paradigm that promotes the reproduction of human life as an important objective of being human and therefore advocates high birthrate.[1]

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term, as it relates to the belief itself, dates from 1971 and comes from French: nataliste, formed from French: natalité, birthrate.[2]

Just like there seems to be an almost universal population decline associated with cultural modernization, attempts at a political response are also growing. According to the UN, the share of countries with pronatalist policies had grown from 20% in 2005 to 28% in 2019.[3]

Motives[edit]

See also: Population ethics and Replacement fertility rate

Generally, natalism promotes child-bearing and parenthood as 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[edit]

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 of Christianity, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[8] and the Catholic Church[9][10][11][12] encourage procreation. In 1979 one research paper indicated that Amish people had an average of 6.8 children per family.[13] Among some conservative Protestants, the Quiverfull movement 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 to abortion and contraception, as well.[17] The 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae e.g. criticized artificial contraception and advocated for a natalist position.[18]

Politics[edit]

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 the political right.[20][21] In Europe, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has made natalism a key plank of his political platform.[20] In the United States, key figures include Kevin Dolan, organizer of the Natal Conference,[22][21][23] Simone and Malcolm Collins, founders of Pronatalist.org,[19][24][22] and Elon 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[edit]

Further information: Fertility factor (demography) § Intention

An intention to have children is a substantial fertility factor in 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, the extended family influences 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 of Mormon or modern Israeli demographics.
  • social pressure from kin and friends to have another child,[26][29][28] such as overall cultural normativity.
  • social support. However, a study from West Germany came to the result 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[edit]

Natalism in public policy typically 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 with population decline offer incentives to the people to have large families as a means of national efforts to reverse declining populations. Incentives may include a one-time baby bonus, or ongoing child benefit payments or tax reductions. Some impose penalties or taxes on those with fewer children.[37][28] Some nations, such as Japan,[38] Singapore,[39] and South Korea,[40] have implemented, or tried to implement, interventionist natalist policies, creating incentives for larger families among native stock.

Paid maternity and paternity leave policies can also be used as an incentive. For example, Sweden has generous parental leave wherein parents are entitled to share 16 months' paid leave per child, the cost divided between both employer and state. Unfortunately, it appears not to work as desired.[41] [42]

Postcommunist[edit]

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

Russia[edit]

Natalist thinking was common during the 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 to neo-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 1930s, government had expanded access to child care starting at age of two.[43] After the Great Patriotic war the 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 the employment and salary modernization still caused the birthrates to continue to slide into the 1970's.[44]

The end of USSR in 1991 was accompanied by a large drop in fertility.[44] In 2006, Vladimir Putin made the demographics an important issue,[45] instituting a two-prong 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[edit]

Main article: Family policy in Hungary

The Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán in 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[edit]

Natalism has been criticized on human-rights and environmental grounds. Most antinatalists, malthusians, reproductive rights advocates and environmentalists see natalism as a driver of reproductive injustice, population growth, and ecological overshoot.[34][29][37][28][48][31] In politics, journalists have linked the pronatalist movement with far-right eugenics.[49][21]

See also[edit]

Look up natalism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References[edit]

  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. ISBN 9781783740529. Retrieved 2018-12-08. 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.
  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. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  5. ^ Arand, Dustin (2022-11-29). "The Very Nice People Who Want Humanity to Go Extinct". Politically Speaking. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  6. ^ "Do Muslims Have More Children Than Other Women in Western Europe? – Population Reference Bureau". Retrieved 2023-12-12. 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. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  8. ^ First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles (September 23, 1995), "Gospel Topics – The Family: A Proclamation to the World", LDS.org, LDS Church, retrieved 2013-12-11. 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. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  10. ^ Pope Pius XI (1930-12-31). "Casti Connubii: Encyclical on Christian Marriage". Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  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. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  12. ^ Greguš, Jan (2019-12-20). "Catholicism and contraception". Česká Gynekologie. 84 (6): 468–474. PMID 31948258 – 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. ISSN 0032-4728. JSTOR 2173531. OCLC 39648293. PMID 11630609.
  14. ^ Hess, Rick and Jan (1990). A Full Quiver: Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ. Brentwood, TN: Hyatt Publishers. ISBN 0-943497-83-3.
  15. ^ Dennis Rainey (2002). "The Value of Children (11 July 2002 FamilyLife Today Radio Broadcast)". FamilyLife Today. Archived from the original (Transcript of radio broadcast) on October 1, 2005. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
  16. ^ Campbell, Nancy (2003). Be Fruitful and Multiply: What the Bible Says about Having Children. San Antonio: Vision Forum. ISBN 0-9724173-5-4.
  17. ^ Bajaj, Nandita (2022-07-06). "Abortion Bans Are a Natural Outgrowth of Coercive Pronatalism". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  18. ^ "Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968) | Paul VI". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  19. ^ a b c d Kirkey, Sharon (2023-01-27). "The new push for more babies: How tech elites think it will save the planet | Best of 2023". National Post. Retrieved 2024-04-30.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ a b c d Martuscelli, Carlo (2023-09-11). "The populist right wants you to make more babies. The question is how". POLITICO. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  21. ^ a b c Del Valle, Gaby (2024-04-28). "The Far Right's Campaign to Explode the Population". Politico. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  22. ^ a b Wilson, Jason (2023-09-04). "Revealed: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  23. ^ "Home". Natal Conference. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  24. ^ a b Dodds, Io (2023-04-17). "Meet the 'elite' couples breeding to save mankind". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  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. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  26. ^ a b c d e Nicoletta 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. PMC 3576563. PMID 23440941.
  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. ISSN 0070-3370. JSTOR 2061908. PMID 8005343.
  28. ^ a b c d Carroll, 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. ISBN 978-0615642994.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  29. ^ a b c d e Bajaj, 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. ISSN 2398-5496.
  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. ISSN 1536-5042 – via Sage Journals.
  31. ^ a b c Dasgupta, 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. ISSN 0098-7921. JSTOR 26622829.
  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. ISSN 1066-4807 – 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. ISSN 0098-7921 – via Wiley.
  34. ^ a b Merz, 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. ISSN 0036-8504. PMC 10515534. PMID 37728669.
  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. ISSN 1742-4755. PMC 6134751. PMID 30208896.
  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 from the original (PDF) on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  37. ^ a b Bajaj, Nandita (2023-02-28). "Coercive Pro-Birth Policies Have Devastating Impacts on People and the Planet". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  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, ISBN 978-90-04-49955-3, retrieved 2024-04-18
  39. ^ "Pro-natalism: Breaking the baby strike". The Economist. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  40. ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (21 August 2005). "South Korea, in Turnabout, Now Calls for More Babies". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  41. ^ Brown, Elizabeth Nolan (2023-05-02). "Storks don't take orders from the state". Reason.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  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. ^ a b Kouprianova 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. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  48. ^ "Judith Blake on Fertility Control and the Problem of Voluntarism". Population and Development Review. 20 (1): 167–177. 1994. doi:10.2307/2137635. ISSN 0098-7921. JSTOR 2137635.
  49. ^ Slawson, Nicola (2023-09-04). "First Thing: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists revealed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-30.

Sources[edit]

Further reading[edit]

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