What would make you want to have more children? This week on “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat speaks with Dr. Alice Evans, a social scientist who is as concerned about the global decline in fertility as he is. The two discuss why this isn’t just a gender issue — it’s “a solitude issue” – and whether there’s a way to bring relationships back.
- 02:03 - What are the stakes of declining fertility?
- 06:41 - Alice's master theory for why birth rates are falling
- 09:04 - There are too many single people
- 10:27 - We can thank technology for the coupling crisis
- 12:58 - The digital segregation of men and women
- 16:31 - Men have less to offer these days
- 20:11 - What can bring the sexes back together
- 24:31 - Could Hollywood help fix the problem?
- 25:46 - Can the government incentivize people to have babies?
- 27:30 - What role does religion play in all this?
- 28:59 - The role of IVF
- 40:50 - Does the fantasy of youth impact the numbers?
- 43:43 - The world in 2080...
(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.
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