This article was originally published in Leadership and Happiness Laboratory.
Americans are having fewer children than needed to sustain the nation’s population. As our country ages and a smaller working-age population struggles to support a larger elderly cohort, we face looming challenges including labor shortages, increased strain on social safety net programs, and decreased economic growth. However, discussions on how to solve this baby bust often fixate on broad societal concerns and obstacles but neglect the much deeper psychological barrier: surveys indicate that most Americans do not view starting a family as an important life goal and don’t believe our society is better off when people prioritize getting married and having children.
