A 2023 Cardus study reveals that over half of Canadian women are having fewer children than they would like, with the primary driver being cultural narratives that frame children as burdensome rather than affordability or housing costs, according to Kate Marland in a National Post op-ed.
Cultural narratives shape fertility choices
The study found that the most influential factors affecting fertility rates relate to the perception that children are burdensome, parenting is time-consuming, and women prioritize self-development before starting families. Marland argues that women have been indoctrinated to believe pregnancy is a burden to be undertaken only after full self-actualization, often viewed as a career-ending move.
Raised on influences like Sex and the City, Girls, Lean In, and She-EOs, society has prioritized material success over family formation. Women who delayed childbearing for careers are increasingly aware that their lives are missing something.
Growing gender divide in desire for children
A 2024 Pew Research Poll of young American adults without children ages 18-34 found that young men are 12 percentage points more likely than young women to say they want to be parents someday. This divide, Marland contends, stems from anti-family propaganda that has devastated a generation of women.
Prizing achievement over fulfillment teaches people to view others as competitors, shredding human connections. Goods cannot replace human connection or cure loneliness, she writes.
Brooks' diagnosis at ARC conference
At the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London, American author Arthur Brooks diagnosed the socio-cultural malaise as the result of “using people, loving things, and worshipping ourselves.” He urged rejecting this framing and starting to “love people, use things, and worship the divine.” Marland argues that soulless self-interest cannot soothe societal ills, particularly for young women.
Popular culture has successfully recast having children as an obstacle to individual flourishing, foreclosing challenges to this cultural hegemony. Society prioritizes self-interest to such a degree that challenging it renders one hopelessly naive or “Trad,” and success is narrowly defined by materialistic values.
Influence of TV shows
Marland notes that for Gen Xers and Millennials, Sex and the City was critical to understanding the world. Young women were encouraged to identify as a Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, or Charlotte. Carrie and Samantha’s endless one-night stands were portrayed as ultimate success, while Charlotte’s desire for marriage and family was framed as naive and provincial.
The anti-hero to that glamour was Lena Dunham’s Girls, which painted a pseudo-realistic picture of navigating 20s in New York with abortions, mental illness, and meaningless encounters. These cultural touchstones, Marland argues, have steered women away from family formation.
