Why Are Birth Rates Falling? The Real Cost of Having Children | Dr Paul Morland | It's All Relative

#birthrate #fertility #populationdecline #demographicshifts #ageing #futureofwork #millennials #genz #parenting #familypolicy #populationgrowth #socialchange #pronatalism Why Are Birth Rates Falling? The Fertility Crisis, Ageing Populations & The Future of Society Birth rates are collapsing. Fertility rates are falling. Populations are ageing. And governments around the world are starting to panic. From the UK and Europe to Japan, South Korea and beyond, fewer people are having children than ever before. But why? Is it the housing crisis? The cost of living? Changing attitudes towards parenthood? Climate anxiety? Feminism? Or are we asking the wrong questions altogether? In this episode of It's All Relative, I sit down with world-leading demographer Dr Paul Morland, author of No One Left, to explore one of the most important and misunderstood issues shaping our future: demographic decline. Together we unpack what falling birth rates really mean for economies, welfare systems, pensions, healthcare, housing, work and the future of generations to come. This isn't a conversation about telling people to have children. It's a conversation about understanding why so many people aren't having the number of children they say they want, and what happens to societies when populations stop replacing themselves. In this episode, we discuss: 00:00 Intro 03:02 Pronatalism And Politics 03:21 Meet Dr Paul Morland 04:25 Replacement Level Explained 05:11 From Baby Boom To Bust 07:34 Asia’s Rapid Fertility Crash 10:41 Africa’s Uneven Transition 12:53 When Demographics Hits Home 14:43 Do Individuals Owe Society Kids 16:35 Why Fertility Fell Since 1970s 19:50 Fertility Education And Timing 23:21 Who Gets To Lead This Debate 23:58 Family Plans Austria 24:48 Climate Antinatalism Debate 27:42 Friends Fear Future 28:33 Assisted Dying Values 29:48 Retirement Age Limits 33:08 AI Won't Save Labor 34:36 Kids Too Expensive 37:57 Policy Fixes Culture 41:18 Pronatalism Feminism Clash 45:01 Open Dialogue Wrap 🔔 SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE If you enjoy conversations about generations, demographics, work, wealth, technology and social change, subscribe and join me every week on It's All Relative. 📩 SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK Weekly essays and analysis on generational change, work, wealth and society: https://drelizafilby.substack.com 📚 BUY MY BOOK: INHERITOCRACY Inheritocracy: It's Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inheritocrac... 🌍 FIND ME ONLINE Website: https://www.elizafilby.com LinkedIn:   / elizafilby   Instagram:   / drelizafilby