As women desire more children than they actually have, greater economic freedom could open the door for larger family sizes, a new paper suggested.
American women said they would be happiest with 2.5 children, according to recent surveys, but they only reach about 1.7 on average. Replacement fertility is 2.1 children per woman.
Shannon Osaka, The Washington Post
Madison Colombo, Fox News
Lyman Stone, Peter Foreshaw Brookes, The Critic
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© 2026 Institute for Family Studies
© 2026 Institute for Family Studies
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