All over the globe, birth rates are falling and hitting critically low levels like we’ve never seen before. From the state of the economy and political/gender divides to fertility issues and climate change, we investigate why you’re choosing not to have kids - and what might happen if our population keeps aging.

SHOW NOTES

Birth rates are falling in Australia

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/from-economy-to-health-what-lower-birth-rates-could-mean-for-australias-future/t1wbdnzux

World fertility rates in 'unprecedented decline', UN says

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clynq459wxgo

Cradle To Grave - Freakonomics podcast

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-arent-we-having-more-babies/

Young women are leaving men behind (and not only at uni)

https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/young-women-are-leaving-men-behind-and-not-only-at-uni-20240924-p5kcyj

Why Women Are Weary of the Emotional Labor of ‘Mankeeping’

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/well/family/mankeeping-definition.html

Housing crisis stats

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-06/the-rent-crisis-behind-australia-s-two-faced-cities/105118328#

Women are still doing more domestic labour than men despite working more

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/how-is-it-that-many-men-still-arent-pulling-their-weight-at-home

Why Humans Are Vanishing - Kurzgesagt 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBudghsdByQ

Paid parental leave Australia - ABC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-17/fact-check-australia-paid-parental-leave/11270456?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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The Hook Up is an ABC podcast, produced by triple j. It is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.