As Mother’s Day approaches, Ruth Institute President Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D., observed: “We used to say the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. Today, it would be more accurate to say it’s the hand that saves the world.”
“My 2001 book, Love and Economics: It Takes a Family to Raise a Village, celebrated the importance of the mother-child bond, which helps children develop a conscience and empathy. Without this, children are at risk for a host of social pathologies.”
“The problems I saw developing back then, have only gotten worse.”
“And as if that weren’t enough reason to celebrate the essential role of mothers, we now face a demographic crisis. Just to maintain population stability, the average woman must have 2.1 children. America’s fertility rate currently is 1.78.”
“We also have a rapidly aging population. According to the Census Bureau, by 2035, we will have more people over 65 than under 18. Then we’ll have severe shortages of essential workers and not be enough tax revenue to pay retirement benefits.”
“Amazingly, a recent Scientific American article argued that the coming demographic winter will be a good thing. But rather than fantasizing about the joys of pristine nature in a depopulated world, we need more children, now.”
“Mothers shape the future. As a birth mother, an adoptive mother, and a former foster parent, I know raising children is hard. But it’s an essential job that ensures a stable future for humanity.”
“As we celebrate mothers, let us pray that their numbers grow, and that they receive the respect and honor they deserve.”
Check out the Ruth Institute’s Motherhood Resource Center for interviews and research on the irreplaceable contributions of mothers.