Sociologist Philip N. Cohen debunks the pronatalist claims on both the right and left that falling birth rates spell disaster. Noting that pronatalism is a key feature of authoritarian states, Cohen warns that the adoption of the problematic 'fertility crisis' framing among liberals is paving the way for coercive right-wing policies, and why we must abandon this narrative. We also explore evolving definitions of family beyond the traditional model and why public-facing scholarship matters more than ever. Highlights include:

• Why framing low birth rates as a crisis on the political left can push policy toward coercive pronatalism when those incentive-based approaches fail;
• Why left-leaning policies like healthcare, education, housing, and childcare should be pursued on justice-based grounds, not in an attempt to raise birth rates;
• Why right-wing pronatalism is often tied to not just economic growth concerns but also to xenophobic, racist, and anti-feminist agendas that serve to entrench male dominance;
• Why fears of population collapse are overstated and overlook the realities of delayed childbirth and the unreliability of long-term demographic projections;
• How lower birth rates create additional resources and improved opportunities for younger generations;
• Why media's 'both-sides' framing of demographic debates leads to unqualified pronatalist proponents being amplified;
• Why we should consider taxing marriage, not subsidizing it, given the numerous benefits attached to marriage;
• Why academics should move beyond the ivory tower to share clear, engaging, and useful knowledge with the public as active 'citizen scholars' in a democratic society;
• How the core caregiving role of families endures even as their forms and definitions continue to evolve and diversify in the modern era.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:

https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/philip-cohen

OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance

OVERSHOOT tackles today's interlocked social and ecological crises driven by humanity's excessive population and consumption. The podcast explores needed narrative, behavioral, and system shifts for recreating human life in balance with all life on Earth. With expert guests from wide-ranging disciplines, we examine the forces underlying overshoot: from patriarchal pronatalism that is fueling overpopulation, to growth-biased economic systems that lead to consumerism and social injustice, to the dominant worldview of human supremacy that subjugates animals and nature. Our vision of shrinking toward abundance inspires us to seek pathways of transformation that go beyond technological fixes toward a new humanity that honors our interconnectedness with all beings.

Hosted by Nandita Bajaj and Alan Ware. Brought to you by Population Balance.

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