The Trump administration’s push for pronatalist policies has sparked strong opposition from women, who raise concerns based on economic, social, and personal factors. Central to this movement is the aim to reverse the country’s declining birthrate through initiatives like cash “baby bonuses” and government-funded fertility education. However, women argue that these measures contradict the administration’s other policies, which limit access to essential reproductive healthcare, according to a report from The Guardian.
Savannah Downing, a 24-year-old Texan actor and content creator, expressed skepticism about the proposed $5,000 “baby bonuses.” “Maybe people would want to have children more often if we weren’t struggling to find jobs, pay off student loans, or afford food,” she said. “Five thousand dollars doesn’t even cover childcare for one month. It just seems really ridiculous.”
Trump officials have long advocated for increasing the country’s birthrate. JD Vance, speaking as vice-president, declared, “I want more babies in the United States of America.”
However, raising a child in the U.S. comes with a hefty price tag. According to a 2022 analysis by the Brookings Institute, a middle-class family with dual incomes can expect to spend between $285,000 and $311,000 raising a child, excluding college tuition. Childcare alone can cost up to $70,000 per year. Furthermore, giving birth in the U.S. is the most expensive in the world. A standard uncomplicated birth, even with private insurance, can cost around $3,000, according to Abigail Leonard’s book Four Mothers.
Many women who shared their thoughts with The Guardian questioned the effectiveness of the proposed policies. One stay-at-home mother of four said, “Five thousand dollars doesn’t go very far! A car seat costs 200 or 300 bucks. It’s insulting. If you want people to have more kids, make housing and food more affordable.” Paige Connell, a working mother of four, emphasized the need for practical support: “They want to incentivize people to have children, but they don’t seem to care about helping raise them.”
Some countries, like Hungary, have heavily invested in boosting birth rates, allocating about 5% of their GDP to such initiatives. Hungary has also exempted women with four children from paying taxes. However, these efforts have not been successful, as Hungary’s birth rate remains below the replacement rate at 1.6. Similarly, Scandinavian countries with comprehensive family support programs have not seen significant increases in birth rates, and in Sweden, rates have even declined.
A 2024 Pew survey found that adults under 50 who are unlikely to have children often cite concerns about the state of the world or the inability to afford raising a child as their primary reasons.
Republicans are exploring ways to encourage more parents to stay at home, such as expanding the child tax credit from $2,000 to $5,000. However, they also propose slashing Medicaid, which covers 40% of all U.S. births, a move that could hinder pronatalist goals.
Critics also point out potential racist and eugenic undertones in the pronatalist movement, which seems to prioritize increasing the birthrates of white couples. Historically, countries like Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union awarded medals to women who had many children.
Downing voiced concerns about the movement’s focus on encouraging white women to have more children. “Women are realizing that they’re more than just birthing machines,” she said.
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