As fertility rates decline, governments and economists are sounding the alarm. Fewer births, we’re told, threaten economic growth, social security, and long-term stability. And often, quietly or not, Childfree people are framed as part of the problem.
In his TEDx talk, CEO and Founder of Childfree Insights™, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP®, challenges that framing. Rather than debating parenthood, he asks a more fundamental question: What if the real issue isn’t who is having children, but the system that depends on infinite growth?
A Choice Made With Intention
Choosing to be Childfree is one of the most intentional and permanent life decisions a person can make. It is not a phase. In fact, it’s a choice made by roughly one in four adults in the U.S.
As Dr. Jay notes in his TEDx talk, “Childfree people put more thought into not having kids than most parents put into having them.” That intention shows up in the realities people weigh carefully: health risks, mental health, generational trauma, financial autonomy, and environmental impact. These are not flippant considerations, and they are not issues that can be solved with a tax credit or a cash incentive.
Yet despite how common this choice has become, it is still treated as an anomaly — a deviation from the expected life script. Buy the house. Have the kids. Grow the population. Grow the economy.
Why Incentives Miss the Mark
In response to declining fertility rates, many governments have introduced policies aimed at encouraging people to have more children — tax benefits, cash bonuses, and public campaigns among them.
The evidence shows these efforts have limited impact. That’s because these policies focus on outcomes rather than causes. They assume people need motivation, when many have already made a deeply considered choice. Blaming Childfree people for declining birth rates doesn’t fix the issue; it avoids confronting a deeper structural challenge.
An Economy Addicted to Growth
Modern economies rely heavily on continuous expansion — more people, more production, more consumption. GDP remains the dominant signal of success.
This is where Dr. Jay’s critique sharpens. He argues that an economy focused solely on growth is unsustainable, comparing it to a cancer cell that grows unchecked until it consumes its host.
When growth slows, people risk being valued primarily for their economic output — future workers, taxpayers, or consumers. From this perspective, Childfree people aren’t disrupting the system. They’re exposing its limits.
Expanding the Definition of Progress
Rather than framing the future as a stark choice, Dr. Jay encourages a broader re-examination of how societies measure success.
He asks a question often dismissed as idealistic:
What would happen if we started measuring happiness and balance?
This idea already exists in practice. Bhutan has measured Gross National Happiness since the 1970s. New Zealand incorporated wellbeing indicators into its national budget in 2019. The OECD’s Better Life Index evaluates quality of life across health, education, work-life balance, and community.
These approaches don’t reject economic performance — they contextualize it. They recognize that sustainable systems must function even when populations stabilize, not only when they grow.
A Broader Conversation About Value
This isn’t an argument for or against having children. It’s a question of whether our economic and social systems are flexible enough to reflect how people actually live today.
Childfree people already contribute in meaningful ways — paying taxes, supporting public infrastructure, and participating fully in society. They don’t need convincing. They need systems that recognize their reality.
Dr. Jay’s TEDx talk ultimately reframes the debate: perhaps the goal isn’t endless growth at any cost, but building systems that value people for who they are, not for who they’re expected to produce.