"The Trump administration really wants Americans to have more kids. President Trump, the self-proclaimed " fertilization president," has called for a new " baby boom." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says communities with big families should get more government funds. The on-again-off-again Trump ally Elon Musk, father of at least 14, has warned that "civilization will disappear" if we don't get busy."
"Panicked by falling fertility rates - which hit a record low of 1.6 children per woman in 2024 - the administration has floated all kinds of ideas to encourage babymaking, from launching $1,000 "Trump accounts" for newborns to soliciting outside proposals, like "motherhood medals" for moms of at least six. Yet the administration is blind to a proven fix that is right in front of us, one that costs it nothing: hybrid work."
"About 290,000 extra children a year have been born in the United States since the Covid pandemic fueled more work-from-home opportunities, according to a Stanford University working paper. If both parents move from full time in the office to working at home at least one day a week, they will average about 0.5 extra children, pushing toward the "replacement" level of 2.1, said the Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom, an author of the study."
U.S. fertility fell to about 1.6 children per woman in 2024, prompting proposals such as cash accounts for newborns and honors for large families. Hybrid work has correlated with a meaningful rise in births, linked to roughly 290,000 additional children annually since pandemic-driven remote work expanded. When both parents shift to at least one work-from-home day per week, couples average about 0.5 more children, moving toward replacement fertility. Flexible work reduces commuting and increases time and opportunity for parenting and conception. International cases show birth increases after lockdowns or flexible-work policies, suggesting remote work as an effective, low-cost fertility support.
Read at The Salt Lake Tribune
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