Natalism

Uruguayan conservative politician and Catholic activist Juan Zorrilla de San Martín (1855–1931), surrounded by his family. Twice married, he fathered 16 children during his life.

Natalism (also called pronatalism or the pro-birth position) is a policy paradigm or personal value that promotes the reproduction of human life as an important objective of humanity and therefore advocates high birthrate.[1]

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term, as it relates to the belief itself, dates from 1971 and comes from French: nataliste, formed from French: natalité, birthrate.[2]

Just like there seems to be an almost universal population decline associated with cultural modernization, attempts at a political response are also growing. According to the UN, the share of countries with pronatalist policies had grown from 20% in 2005 to 28% in 2019.[3]

  1. ^ Cf.: McKeown, John (2014). "1: Natalism: A Popular Use of the Bible". God's Babies: Natalism and Bible Interpretation in Modern America. Cambridge: Open Books. p. 2. ISBN 9781783740529. Retrieved 2018-12-08. Natalism is an ideology that advocates a high birth rate within a community.[...] The central message is that parents should have additional children.
  2. ^ "natalism". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  3. ^ "The new economics of fertility". Economist: 65. September 17, 2022.