The Confucian fertility paradox
The Confucian fertility paradox by Tyler Cowen July 28, 2026 at 12:56 am in Current Affairs Education Total fertility rates in East Asia have fallen to levels without historical precedent, even though the region’s Confucian heritage long placed extraordinary emphasis on family continuity and large families. We argue that this “Confucian Fertility Paradox” dissolves once we separate two strands of the tradition and recognize that modernization affected them very differently. The pro-natal strand, built on lineage continuity, ancestor worship, and reliance on sons for old-age support, was gradually switched off as child mortality fell, incomes rose, women entered the labor force, and state pensions replaced the family as the main source of security in old age.
- ▪The Confucian fertility paradox by Tyler Cowen July 28, 2026 at 12:56 am in Current Affairs Education Total fertility rates in East Asia have fallen to levels without historical precedent, even though the region’s Confucian heritage long pl
- ▪We argue that this “Confucian Fertility Paradox” dissolves once we separate two strands of the tradition and recognize that modernization affected them very differently.
- ▪The pro-natal strand, built on lineage continuity, ancestor worship, and reliance on sons for old-age support, was gradually switched off as child mortality fell, incomes rose, women entered the labor force, and state pensions replaced the
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| Publication time | Tue, 28 Jul 2026 04:56:44 +0000 |
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The Confucian fertility paradox by Tyler Cowen July 28, 2026 at 12:56 am in Current Affairs Education Total fertility rates in East Asia have fallen to levels without historical precedent, even though the region’s Confucian heritage long placed extraordinary emphasis on family continuity and large families. We argue that this “Confucian Fertility Paradox” dissolves once we separate two strands of the tradition and recognize that modernization affected them very differently. The pro-natal strand, built on lineage continuity, ancestor worship, and reliance on sons for old-age support, was gradually switched off as child mortality fell, incomes rose, women entered the labor force, and state pensions replaced the family as the main source of security in old age.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Marginal Revolution.
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