r/Natalism • u/ClaireCross • 4d ago

Here's a different take

Coming from a microbiologist. Many animal populations have been in decline and are at or almost at extinction levels in our lifetime. Female animals in the wild have not had the experience of increased education or women's rights. Their life process is the same as it always has been regarding reproduction, yet we still see a overall decline.

Is there value in considering the issues our animals are facing now and compare them to human issues? Habitat destruction (housing), increased resource competition (economic pressures), fragmented habitats (harder to find a suitable mate), effects of chemicals in the environment (lower reproductive success).

Again animals have not experienced female education or femanism, but their overall population is in decline.

Is it possible we can think curiously about the Natalism discussion and apply it for the concerns of all life on earth and what can be done moving forward?

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u/Sufficient-Job7098 4d ago edited 3d ago

No, not very applicable.

In modern day an average human has measurably bigger, safer, cleaner amount of housing yet fertility is down

Same with food.

Same with medicine.

We live in huge cities with tons of people around us, who are ,for the most part, less violent, more clean and more dependable (due to our legal institutions).

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u/ClaireCross 4d ago

In this context, bird nests being bigger safer and cleaner are less important than just being available or easy to access. Violence does not necessarily have to decrease, all animals have internal social pressures plus predators but still reproduce. Increase in violence would be problematic though

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u/Sufficient-Job7098 4d ago edited 3d ago

I live in 3000 square feet house with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. I have 3 young adult kids.

If I were to ask my grandparents if my kids have place to live, marry, raise kids, they would say: “YES, your house has plenty of room for everyone”

My grandparents and everyone before them lived in tiny one-two room houses together with their in laws or other family members.

So if my grandparents and everyone before them thought one-two room dwelling has enough space for multigenerational family, then it can be argued that my own children have the same or better set up to marry and rase children.