Written by Olivia Nater | Published: February 17, 2026
The New York Times Headway newsletter pointed out that low birthrates have upsides too. We sent a letter in response, which wasn’t published, so we are featuring it here.
We encourage all our members and supporters to make their voices heard! See our media guide for advice on how to do that.
Re: Birthrates Are Down. That Can Be a Sign of Progress (Headway, February 4)
Dear Mr. Thompson,
Thank you for pointing out that declining birthrates generally reflect progress and do not represent a “crisis,” as prominent pronatalists would have us believe.
You left out two critically important points, however. It is true that “as median incomes and education levels have risen, people have had fewer babies.” But the driving force behind low fertility is women’s emancipation and empowerment. When women are free to decide what happens to their bodies and lives, they usually choose smaller families. It is no coincidence that the countries with the highest fertility rates are those with the worst gender inequality scores.
Secondly, a key fact that our growth-obsessed societies seem to have forgotten is that to ensure our long-term survival on a finite planet, population increase must come to a halt. No amount of miraculous innovation can solve our environmental crises if our numbers keep on rising. Low birthrates will pave the way to a more sustainable population and a brighter future.
Sincerely,
Olivia Nater
Communications Manager
Population Connection
Journalists across the Global North are so fascinated by declining birthrates that this trend has become the dominant population-themed media narrative. Despite substantial published research on family size choices and…
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