đĄThe Heritage Foundation has an interesting take on Americaâs declining birth rates: They think weâre âtoo educated.â According to a recent article, they believe the so-called âbaby bustâ is happening because young adults are spending too much time in school pursuing degrees instead of getting married and starting families in their early 20s. They argue that if we prioritized marriage and children over education, the birth rate would rise. đ¤ But hereâs the reality â people arenât having fewer kids because theyâre spending too much time in school. The real reasons? **Sky-high living costs, unaffordable healthcare, a lack of paid parental leave, and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world.** Starting a family in America today is expensive â **giving birth alone costs an average of $18,000.** Add in the cost of childcare, housing, and medical care, and many people simply canât afford to have children. But whatâs especially alarming is the underlying message in this narrative: that **women should prioritize becoming wives and mothers over education and personal development.** Itâs the same outdated idea weâve heard for generations, wrapped up in a new package. Letâs be real â **education isnât the problem.** In fact, itâs part of the solution. â
Educated people are better equipped to make informed decisions. â
Theyâre more likely to raise resilient, well-supported children. â
And theyâre more likely to build stable, secure lives before taking on the enormous responsibility of parenthood. Instead of blaming education for declining birth rates, letâs focus on **real solutions** to support families: đš Affordable healthcare đš Paid parental leave đš Universal childcare đš Policies that make starting a family more accessible and less risky The truth is, people arenât choosing education over kids â theyâre choosing to wait until theyâre ready to be the best version of themselves before bringing another human into the world. And considering the human brain doesnât fully develop until age 25, maybe waiting to start a âfetal collaborationâ with someone whose frontal lobe isnât fully mature isnât a bad idea. đ Letâs reject these outdated narratives and work toward solutions that actually make life better for families. What do you think? Are we âtoo educatedâ â or are we just navigating a system that doesnât prioritize families? Letâs discuss! đ
#MaternalHealth #FamilyPolicy #PaidParentalLeave #Education #SocialPolicy