this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2025
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TBF, in most developed countries women stopped having a lot of babies immediately after the contraceptive pill was introduced. Even if times weren't like ... this, most countries would probably still have birth rates below replacement level.
But it sure is something how all these politicians are demanding higher birthrates without offering much to actually help with it, in many cases actively working to make it even harder.
There was a recent study that showed the main correlate was private equity making housing less accessible.
Well at least from personal experience I can say that's true. It took me until 32 to buy a house. Then it took 3 years to fix it up and make it livable because that's the only kind of house I could afford. I'm now expecting my first, but I would have had one sooner if I was able to afford a house sooner. No way in hell I was going to chance getting kicked out of an apartment while raising a child.
I'm going to need to see some numbers on that.
Contraceptives have reduced the number of children who weren't intended in the first place, which, let's be candid here, does not make for a good home environment in many cases.
Studies have shown a massive decline in birthrates since ~2007. This is a long time after the existence of contraceptives.
Studies showing such issues as "women are prioritizing their careers!" account for a tiny minority of the general public, while studies noting costs of raising children, childcare, the need for both parents to work to afford... Anything, even the costs of childbirth itself, the increasing limits of time off after childbirth (and limits of paid leave) account for a significant portion of the population.
Following the pill, there was a sharp drop for ~20 years, followed by increases throughout the 80s, small decreases in the 90s and early 2000s, and then a drastic drop beginning in 2008 (as in, after the great recession).
As far as I'm aware, and as far as I can see by any of the data, economics plays a greater role than the existence of reliable contraceptives.
Aside from it being a bit silly to try and perpetually make the numbers go up.
Edit: Somehow lost a whole sentence at the end of paragraph 4
Have some numbers: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Fertility-rates-in-selected-countries-1960-2020-Number-of-children-per-women_fig2_360016179
For reference, contraceptive pills were introduced in 1960 in the US. See also size of the boomer generation vs size of every subsequent generation, and the shape of the population pyramid (it's not a pyramid anymore) in most developed countries. The numbers picked up a litte in the 80s, but nowhere near to the level they were in the 50s.
Slight clarification there...
Oral contraceptives were approved by the FDA, but the first that went for fda approval as a contraceptive wasn't until a year later, 1961. It wasn't available in all states until 1965.
And most crucially, it was not available to unmarried women in all states until 1972.
Which all coincides with exactly what I said.
Again, precipitous drop after the great recession. How does that, at all, relate to the (then 50 yr old) existence of the birth control pill?
Humans realized we’re in captivity and stopped breeding.
Why didn't they stop earlier, when circumstances were worse in every way, like in the 19th century? Living conditions for industrial workers and their families were absolutely appalling, even compared to the farm work they had before.
My answer is that before the contraceptive pill, they literally couldn't.