Latest news with #babybust
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Do you live in one of Britain's fastest shrinking towns? Find out with our interactive tool that charts the underpopulation crisis
Deaths outnumber births in half of neighbourhoods, according to analysis laying bare the 'alarming' baby bust. Some of the worst-hit areas across England and Wales are shrinking naturally at a pace of 5 per cent a year, in trends which have spooked experts. Parts of Wales, Merseyside, Devon, Dorset and Sussex are threatened by 'underpopulation', data suggests. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes.
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk's greatest fear realized as young adults find a replacement for 'burdensome' babies
People in the West – where fertility rates are collapsing – are replacing kids with dogs, a new review suggests. Researchers have found in European countries, declining rates of births have correlated with rising rates of dog ownership. They analyzed around a half-dozen studies on young people's views about pets and children, finding they see dog parenting as less burdensome than bearing a child. The researchers identified financial stress and lifestyle freedom as key reasons for the shift. The team from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest wrote: 'Many wealthy and developed countries are now experiencing sub-replacement fertility, meaning people are having fewer children than needed to maintain the population over time,' the team shared. 'In contrast, dog ownership has gained popularity over the last decades.' In the US, more households now have dogs than children. More than 63 million households owning at least one pet compared to 32.7 million households with at least one child under the age of 18. The so-called 'baby bust' in the West has sparked concern from economists and public figures, including Elon Musk, who has warned that falling birth rates pose 'the biggest threat to civilization.' The billionaire, who has 14 children with four different women, has said that low birth rates mean few workers, increased debt, strained healthcare and pension systems and total social unrest. It comes as the US fertility rate has fallen to 1.6 births per woman, far below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to sustain a population. The new review suggests that this shift reflects a deeper transformation in society. Professor Enikő Kubinyi, senior author and head of the Department of Ethology, said: 'We argue that many people consider dogs to be family members and, more specifically, as child-like figures.' Approximately 19 percent of childless individuals and 10 percent of parents valued their dog at least partially more than any human in a recent Hungarian survey, researchers noted in the study. Up to half of the 197 million European households have at least one dog, compared to the 46 million that have at least one child under the age of 18. 'For some people, dogs may represent a fulfilling compromise, satisfying a genetically embedded drive to nurture and form social bonds without investing the substantial resources necessary to raise biological offspring,' the authors wrote. Dogs may be particularly suited for these evolving roles because of their cognitive and emotional abilities, according to the researchers. A recent survey showed that 43 percent of Millennials and Gen Z would prefer raising a dog over having a child 'Dogs exhibit a wide range of social behaviors, often comparable to those of pre-verbal children,' the study reads. Their dependency on humans mimics the relationship between children and parents: dogs rely on caregivers for food, routines, and social interaction. Still, the researchers caution that treating dogs like children isn't the same as parenting. 'Despite the high dependency and attachment of dogs to their caregivers, in the eyes of many, commitments coming with dog ownership remain less burdensome than child parenting,' said Laura Gillet, Ph.D. student and co-author of the review. Dogs generally have shorter lifespans, lower financial costs, and fewer social demands. No college tuition, no childcare, and typically no career sacrifices. 'We would like to point out that, contrary to popular belief, only a small minority of dog owners actually treat their pets like human children,' Kubinyi added. 'In most cases, dog parents choose dogs precisely because they are not like children, and they acknowledge their species-specific needs.' Nonetheless, the implications are significant. In some homes, dogs serve as 'pre-children' for couples preparing to become parents. In others, dogs can be a permanent substitutes for those who cannot have children or choose not to have them, and some are even considered siblings or companions for older adults. 'The roles that companion animals play in human lives are redefining the concept of family,' the study states.
Washington Post
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Having more babies isn't the only answer
The United States is at risk of a 'baby bust,' and the government is scrambling to reverse it. President Donald Trump recently proposed a suite of initiatives to encourage women to have more children, from a $5,000 'baby bonus' to a 'motherhood medal of honor.' But if other developed nations with declining birth rates are any example, simply throwing money at young couples — or even fortifying social welfare — isn't incentive enough. On the latest episode of 'Impromptu,' Post Opinions writers Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Bina Venkataraman discuss the pronatalism debate and alternative strategies for boosting birth rates. The excerpt below has been edited for length and clarity.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Claim About Lingerie And The Declining Birth Rate May Be The Dumbest Argument Ever
From 2014 to 2020, the birth rate in the United States consistently decreased by 2% annually. U.S. births increased by just 1% in 2024, still near the record-setting low of 2023. Statisticians and sociologists chalk up the baby bust to a number of structural cultural factors, including sky-high child care costs, an unaffordable housing market, inflexible work schedules and demanding work cultures, and the economic fallout of the pandemic. The long-term trend can also happily be attributed to a substantial reduction in the number of teenage pregnancies over the last several decades. In a post that's gone viral this week, X user @thegenesisbl0ck volunteered a competing theory for plummeting fertility rates: People aren't having sex because women go to bed looking like absolute slobs! 'Birth rates would sky rocket if girls wore this at home instead of some oversized homeless core outfit,' wrote the poster, who goes by Andrea D. Huberwoman, a feminization of Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and podcast host who's popular with self-optimization bros. In the accompanying photos, we see two women with long blond hair wearing lacy pink lingerie sets. Birth rates would sky rocket if girls wore this at home instead of some oversized homeless core outfit. — Andrea D. Huberwoman, Ph.D. (@thegenesisbl0ck) May 3, 2025 Men and women on X and Bluesky were quick to call out lady Huberman for the bad take. 'I used to incinerate money on Stella McCartney stuff like this and it's a total waste. My ex preferred when I wore a cropped t shirt to bed. You're doing this nonsense for you not him,' replied podcast host Aimee Terese. 'Speaking as a guy this sort of weird woman shaming stuff about dressing sexy at home is very overrated because if a guy finds you attractive you can pretty much dress like Fred Durst and we'd still have sex with you whenever,' @ wrote on Bluesky of the post. Some responded with hard evidence: 'Spend all you want on Victoria's Secret lingerie but granny wore something like this and gramps gave her eight kids and paid all the bills,' one woman posted along with a photo of a woman wearing a baggy house dress in a pink generic animal print (a decidedly unsexy animal print, we should add). Spend all you want on Victoria's Secret lingerie but granny wore something like this and gramps gave her eight kids and paid all the bills. — The Lone Actor (@TheLoneActor) May 4, 2025 There's obviously a lot wrong with the lingerie-encouraging post. First, people are still very much into and buying lingerie: Victoria's Secret is still alive and kicking. Luxury lingerie brand Agent Provocateur saw its revenues double over the past three years. In spite of the narrative that men are visual creatures, most straight men don't really care all that much about lingerie. Most will be happy with a good old-fashioned naked woman (quite a visual in and of itself), or even a woman they're attracted to who just so happens to be wearing sweats and an old, ratty T-shirt as a comfy prelude to nakedness. William Costello, a doctoral researcher who studies evolutionary psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, asked about the lingerie theory in an unscientific poll on X, and found that most straight men and women who responded don't feel that lingerie makes much of a notable difference when it comes to triggering male desire. Men & women with opposite-sex partners:Has regularly wearing sexy lingerie instead of generic underwear reliably caused a shift from not wanting sex to wanting it (vs. just mildly increasing male desire)?Are you male (M) or female (F)? — William Costello (@CostelloWilliam) May 4, 2025 All this said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with putting a little effort into looking good for your partner, or for yourself. Some people feel especially sexy in lingerie, and more power to them. But you not slipping on a pricey Fleur du Mal garter belt before going to bed is not the reason the birth rate has taken a tumble. 'As a sex therapist who works with men, women and couples, I can tell you with confidence: No, men do not 'need' lingerie to be turned on,' said Tammy Nelson, a sex and relationship therapist and author of 'Open Monogamy: A Guide to Co-Creating Your Ideal Relationship Agreement.' What turns people on is considerably more complex, Nelson said. 'Eroticism starts in our head — it's emotional connection, availability, confidence and responsiveness,' she said. 'Just being naked works just fine for many couples. And yes, someone showing up — even in sweats — and being present, engaged, and into their partner can be incredibly sexy,' she told HuffPost. If anything is a sexual buzzkill right now, it's this stress of trying to make a living wage while maintaining your sanity in these chaotic, capital-letter Unprecedented Times. Working and just getting by can easily lead to compounded stress and anxiety, which can do a number on your libido. 'Wearing lingerie is a leisure activity, and as a sex therapist, I can attest that for most people today ― especially parents ― leisure is in very short supply,' said Stephen Snyder, a sex therapist in New York City and the author of 'Love Worth Making: How to Have Ridiculously Great Sex in a Long-Lasting Relationship.' The real barriers to intimacy and reproduction today are economic pressure, chronic stress, exhaustion from caregiving, and disconnection in relationships, Nelson said. She added that the framework of the social media post ― blaming women for this narrative of 'not turning on their man' ― reinforces the outdated idea that women are responsible for maintaining male desire and that their appearance alone should be responsible for sexual behavior. 'The idea that not wearing lingerie is somehow impacting birth rates is not only reductive, it's sexist and frankly absurd,' she said. Tasking women with the sexual responsibility to look sexy when they go to bed ― when they're also usually the ones doing most of the emotional labor at home, plus actual labor at work ― is ridiculous to Nelson. 'Passion is co-created,' she said. 'Real intimacy comes from mutual effort, vulnerability, and trust — not lingerie.' I Became A Bikini And Lingerie Model When I Was At My Highest Weight Ever The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Led To A 'Baby Bust,' Not A Baby Boom This 47-Year-Old Claims To Have The Penis Of A 22-Year-Old — And Doctors Have Thoughts
