Fertility rates in the developed world are too low and that's bad, blah blah.
Here's my proposal to raise fertility rates (coming from a current uni student):
Promote parenthood in universities via student run clubs. Reading groups about different parenting styles, or more subtle pro-fertility clubs like knitting groups where students make clothes for sick kids (very un-EA, I know). Maybe networks for "future mom friends", similar to alumni networks? These ideas aren't great yet but hopefully you get the picture. If you have any ideas at all (no matter how vague) please write a comment about it.
It's wild to me that there isn't even a school club for students that are parents.
The goal is to make parenthood seem normal, so ideally these clubs wouldn't devolve into "those weirdos who all want 8 kids".
This could also expand beyond clubs. For example, universities with daycares should let the kids run around within the vicinity of students. I say this because my uni has a daycare and the kids often play in the middle of campus. I, along with most other students, love to stop and watch the kids, and I think it normalizes parenting when you see toddlers laughing and other uni students enjoying being around kids.
Unis could also try organizing more dances to promote relationships, and not hookups, between students.
The general idea is "use universities to promote family formation. Make it seem normal for students to be thinking about parenthood and to want to be parents."
Fertility rates in the developed world are too low and that's bad, blah blah.
Here's my proposal to raise fertility rates (coming from a current uni student):
Promote parenthood in universities via student run clubs. Reading groups about different parenting styles, or more subtle pro-fertility clubs like knitting groups where students make clothes for sick kids (very un-EA, I know). Maybe networks for "future mom friends", similar to alumni networks? These ideas aren't great yet but hopefully you get the picture. If you have any ideas at all (no matter how vague) please write a comment about it.
It's wild to me that there isn't even a school club for students that are parents.
The goal is to make parenthood seem normal, so ideally these clubs wouldn't devolve into "those weirdos who all want 8 kids".
This could also expand beyond clubs. For example, universities with daycares should let the kids run around within the vicinity of students. I say this because my uni has a daycare and the kids often play in the middle of campus. I, along with most other students, love to stop and watch the kids, and I think it normalizes parenting when you see toddlers laughing and other uni students enjoying being around kids.
Unis could also try organizing more dances to promote relationships, and not hookups, between students.
The general idea is "use universities to promote family formation. Make it seem normal for students to be thinking about parenthood and to want to be parents."