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Dr. Catherine Pakaluk: America’s Baby Bust is About Demand, Not Dollars

Episode length: 32m

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Why are fewer Americans choosing to have children—and why are families having fewer overall? Dr. Catherine Pakaluk joins Karin Lips to unpack the cultural and economic forces behind today’s declining birth rate.

Dr. Pakaluk challenges the idea that America’s baby bust is mainly a financial issue, arguing instead that it’s a demand problem. Younger generations just don’t see children as part of “living their best life.” Understanding this shift means looking beyond policy to lifestyle inflation and changing priorities around career, freedom, and identity—dynamics she explores in her book, Hannah’s Children, through interviews with 55 women, each with five or more children.

She weighs in on the nuances and false dichotomies beneath the popular “tradwife vs. girlboss” debate, offering a thoughtful look at modern trade-offs, cultural expectations, and what it means to build a meaningful life in the twenty-first century.

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Hosts:
Karin LipsPeyton Smith