Abby McCloskey, Bloomberg, October 4, 2025

“Demographers at the United Nations predict that the number of humans on Earth will begin shrinking as soon as 2080 — the culmination of a global decline in birthrates that began two generations ago. I keep thinking about what this shift means for moms.

Fewer women are having children. Those who do are having smaller families than previous generations. This trend transcends the norms of any one culture or place.

The shift away from motherhood is happening slowly — but surely. It’s a source of growing bipartisan concern. New Pew Research polling finds that over half of Americans (53%) now say fewer people choosing to have children in the future would negatively impact the United States, a six-point increase from last year.”