Valuetainment How to Fix America’s Population Decline
Feb 24, 2026
A look at America’s record-low birth rate and the historical eras that once produced millions of births. A run-through of cultural and economic reasons people are having fewer children. Bold proposals for tax and recognition incentives aimed at sparking a baby boom. A target-driven plan to push annual births back toward historic highs.
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Birth Totals Stayed Flat While Population Soared
- US birth totals stayed roughly flat over 115 years despite huge population growth, with 1910 ~2.77M and 2025 ~3.6M births.
- Patrick Bet-David highlights three historical multi-year runs above 4M births (1954–64, 1989–93, 2000–09) tied to postwar booms, strong economies, and immigrant fertility.
Higher Female Workforce Participation Lowers Birth Rate
- Female workforce participation rose from ~35% in 1957 to about 65–70% today and Patrick links this structural change to lower birth rates.
- He frames workforce entry as permanent (post-1970s) versus earlier temporary wartime shifts that reversed afterward.
Birth Control And Abortion Changed Fertility Patterns
- Contraception and legal abortion (Pill in 1960, Roe v. Wade 1973) are cited as major factors reducing births.
- Patrick quantifies abortions since Roe as ~65,464 (transcript number) to illustrate scale and lost potential.