Pro-natalist campaigns treat babies as economic means, not ends

Evidence

In certain countries, some social and moral justifications are aimed at heightening concern over decline in fertility rates. Fearing that a declining population will stifle economic and consumption growth, some of these countries have launched campaigns granting generous incentives to women who have more babies. These incentives include cash payments for each childbirth, lengthy maternity leaves, good child care, compensation for lost wages, more flexible work arrangements, and even pension supplements. In some European countries, sex education courses subtly encourage students to have more babies when they grow up (Hakim, 2015). Countries conducting these fertility campaigns regard babies as a means toward future economic growth. Babies are the future workers and consumers. However, for financial, environmental, and lifestyle reasons—and because many countries are still recovering from the Great Recession of 2008—many young, educated couples are resisting governmental pressure to produce a baby boom. Opposition to such campaigns is arising in both developed and developing countries (Erdbrink, 2014). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2637

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in how state policy instrumentalizes human life — parallels the sacrifice-as-stabilizer theme in ‘On Sacrifice.’
• CANDY: European sex-ed courses teaching students to have more babies is a striking, tweetable detail.