New Works in Progress x Boom newsletter! Interesting findings & developments covered include China's imminent depopulation, the global rise in singles & how watching telenovelas may lead to smaller families.

On Christmas Day, I gave birth to my daughter almost entirely without pain. That's because I had an epidural. But I've been surprised to learn that I'm in the minority of UK mothers by choosing this pain relief method (the most effective). 1/3

Can’t wait for the Social Market Foundation & Boom essay collection I’m working on with Aveek Bhattacharya, and that is mentioned in today’s Times, to come out! Some of the brilliant people who have contributed incl. Shreya Nanda, Anna Rotkirch & David Lawrence.

Labour needs to stop dismissing the declining birth rate as a fringe right issue. From the affordability of starting a family to the rising dependency ratio, these are key policy issues. This new set of essays edited by Aveek Bhattacharya & Phoebe Arslanagić-Little aims to put that right (or left).

There’s a compelling progressive case for pro-family policies. The ground shouldn’t be conceded to the right of politics. My contribution to Social Market Foundation’s essay collection on ‘the birth rate challenge’ - why the government must invest in NHS IVF.

From Social Market Foundation & Boom today - a new essay collection that shows the birth rate challenge is of deep concern to progressives.

As Aveek Bhattacharya says, the birth rate challenge is too important to be left to the right. My small contribution to this essay collection is on the economics of childcare. Unlike many other parts of the economy, expensive childcare is not primarily a 'supply side' issue... 🧵

Putting career and parenthood at odds means women may be less likely to have children and more likely to delay motherhood Ultra-low fertility South Korea has a high child penalty, with over 50% of married women quitting work around the birth of their first child. 1/2

Great video, starring one of my favourite babies 👶 For some mad Online Safety Act reason Twitter seems to be blocking it for some people - linking YouTube below as a backup!

'They tell us it's a lot to do with financial insecurity.' Phoebe Arslanagić-Little analyses the gap between the number of children UK citizens want to have versus the reality of how many they end up having. 📺 Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604

Beautiful video on the importance of addressing the birthrate crisis in the UK! Bizarrely, it is being censored in the UK (age restricted as potentially harmful for children) under the Online Safety Act of 2023.