Why Do Feminist Countries Have Higher Birth Rates? (This Makes No Sense)

Did feminism cause the Baby Boom?

In this episode, Malcolm notices a surprising pattern in the historical fertility data: in nearly every country where women entered the workforce in large numbers during/around WWII (US, Canada, Australia, UK, etc.), there was a massive post-war Baby Boom. In countries where female labor-force participation stayed low or stable (Japan, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland), there was little to no boom.

We explore whether “female empowerment” (in the classic 1920s–1940s sense — voting rights, workforce entry, cultural excitement) actually halted fertility decline and temporarily reversed it, while modern feminism and declining gender complementarity may be contributing to today’s collapse. We also discuss vitalism, bigender vitalism, why groypers have low fertility despite their “vitalism,” and why making women feel like valued lieutenants (not house-slaves or girl-bosses) matters for both marriage stability and higher birth rates.

If you care about solving the fertility crisis, this counter-intuitive historical correlation is worth grappling with.

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Timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro – Malcolm’s surprising observation in fertility data

[00:01:00] US fertility collapse 1835–1940 and the post-1940 “floor”

[00:02:00] Women entering workforce in WWII and the Baby Boom correlation

[00:03:00] Ignoring the Baby Boom makes US fertility look stable since 1940

[00:04:00] France and UK historical fertility patterns

[00:05:00] England/Wales slightly bucks the trend

[00:06:00] Aria Babu’s study + map of European gender equality vs fertility

[00:07:00] Global pattern: more gender-equal developed countries have higher fertility

[00:08:00] Why progressives hate this data point

[00:09:00] Classic feminism vs modern feminism

[00:11:00] Key 1920s feminist developments (voting, ERA, flappers)

[00:12:00] Women’s workforce demand and enthusiasm for the future

[00:13:00] Women ultimately control fertility when given choice

[00:14:00] Country-by-country WWII female labor participation vs Baby Boom size

[00:16:00] Detailed data: US, Canada, Australia, UK, France, Sweden, Japan, etc.

[00:18:00] Counter-examples: China, Israel, post-1970s trends

[00:20:00] Why misogynistic high-control groups still get high fertility

[00:23:00] Is “feminism” even the right lens? Maybe it’s vitalism

[00:25:00] Bigender vitalism: excitement and purpose for both sexes

[00:27:00] Women want a competent captain, men want a competent lieutenant

[00:29:00] Why “house-slave” wife models are unstable

[00:31:00] Dating market realities and finding partners in urban monoculture

[00:33:00] Respecting women’s contributions publicly and in community

[00:35:00] Burning modern feminism, embracing bigender vitalism

[00:38:00] Debate: gender differences vs generic vitalism

[00:41:00] Wrapping up + dinner plans

[00:42:00] Quick aside on USAID funding rumors

[00:43:00] Epic AI-generated pronatalist rap anthem (Hail to the Breeders)