"In the world of demographics, observers are united in the view that when fertility rates fall far below replacement, it's a bad sign for a country. In the documentary Birthgap, filmmaker Stephen J Shaw takes viewers on a world tour of the problem. He conducts compelling interviews with women and men who have resigned themselves to never starting a family. It helps that Shaw is also a data scientist, making him well placed to take complex concepts in data and illustrate them clearly for viewers."
"In the documentary Birthgap, filmmaker Stephen J Shaw takes viewers on a world tour of the problem. He conducts compelling interviews with women and men who have resigned themselves to never starting a family. It helps that Shaw is also a data scientist, making him well placed to take complex concepts in data and illustrate them clearly for viewers."
Delaying starting a family has become a cultural norm in many societies, producing fertility rates far below replacement and signaling demographic strain. Persistent sub-replacement fertility is widely regarded as harmful for long-term population stability. Many individuals have resigned themselves to never starting families, reflecting social and personal dynamics that discourage childbearing. Combining personal testimony with data-driven explanation clarifies complex fertility trends and their consequences. Postponed and forgone family formation imposes economic and social costs, including population aging, shrinking workforces, and increased pressure on social support systems.
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