#868 - Mads Larsen - The Hidden Truth About Our Collapsing Birth Rates

The introduction of the concept "involuntary single women" has sparked significant debate and accusations of misogyny, which Mads Larsen, the co-author of the theory, struggles to navigate in the current cultural climate.

The idea of "involuntary single women" sparked outrage and accusations of misogyny.

Mads and a colleague conceptualized and theorized the idea of "involuntary single women" in an article, which led to a public backlash against discussing this issue.

Mads Larsen and Leif Kinnear theorized the idea of "involuntary single women," leading to public unrest. Accusations flew, labeling the discussion as misogynistic, and igniting a cultural storm. Mads argues that the discourse should focus on the critical issue of declining fertility rates, which, in Norway, have sunk to 1.4 children per woman, drastically below the replacement rate. He asserts that this is an existential threat, underscoring the societal implications tied to these numbers.

The underlying concern is that the dysfunctional dating market is a key contributor to declining fertility.

Mads Larsen expresses that his aim was to not blame women for the low fertility rates but to delve into the reasons behind the increasingly difficult dating environment. He argues that a dysfunction in the modern mating market, informed by evolutionary psychology, contributes to the decline in fertility. With Norwegian women desiring an average of 2.4 children but only having 1.4, there seems to be a gap between fertility ideals and reality. This issue could supposedly propel Norway toward a generational decline or even societal collapse if the trend persists.

Larsen's department has distanced themselves from him and the contentious debate has occupied public discourse. However, a member of the birth rate committee has acknowl ...

In a detailed exploration of modern mating dynamics, Mads Larsen and Williamson address how the shift to individual partner choice has impacted fertility through changes in women's attraction systems and societal norms.

The shift to individual partner choice, rather than arranged marriages, has led to a mismatch between women's promiscuous and pair-bonding attraction systems.

Mads Larsen explains that throughout human evolution, women have developed two competing attraction systems. The earlier promiscuous system prioritizes mating with the most genetically desirable men, while the pair-bonding system, which evolved later, seeks a partner of similar value and equity, demands paternal investment, and leads to a bonded couple. Although humans are capable of both systems, they have not become a purely pair-bonding species and must reconcile these different preferences to enable functional mating. With the rise of individual partner choice, replacing systems like arranged marriages, the promiscuous system has become more dominant. This has contributed to a stratification in which the most desirable men receive the majority of mating opportunities.

Williamson discusses how this phenomenon plays out in what she calls the "tall girl problem," where successful women at the top of their status hierarchy struggle to find partners of higher or equal status. As women’s socioeconomic success increases, there is a corresponding decline in male educational attainment and socioeconomic status. This creates a challenging dynamic where women's long-term standards for partners rise, but the pool of men meeting these standards shrinks.

Moreover, Williamson notes that unlike historically underperforming groups that society has supported through targeted efforts, such as the educational attainment of women, little focus has been placed on raising the standard of men to meet the increased expectations of today's women.

This dynamic has made it increasingly difficult for many women to find suitable long-term partners.

As women become less socioeconomically dependent on men and society moves away from patriarchal stan ...

The issue of declining birth rates is linked to broader societal and policy changes that have shifted cultural norms around reproduction, Mads Larsen explains.

The rise of individualism, female empowerment, and contraception have fundamentally changed the cultural norms and incentives surrounding reproduction.

Larsen's discussion reflects a significant societal transformation. Traditionally, societies imposed strong social pressures and norms to motivate people to marry and have children. However, the liberation of women and the availability of effective contraception mean that having children has become a voluntary choice.

Historically, societies imposed strong social pressures and norms that motivated people to bond and have children.

Larsen mentions the cultural changes over the last thousand years, suggesting an exploration of modernity's emergence. He points out the widening gaps in university attendance and economic success between men and women due to policies aimed at raising the status of women, such as Title IX, and questions where the effort to help underperforming men is.

With the social and economic liberation of women, and availability of effective contraception, having children has become a much more voluntary choice.

Larsen discusses the cultural shift to “confluent love,” where relationships continue as long as they provide mutual benefits, often resulting in serial pair bonding. This approach contrasts with the historical ideology that one is complete only with their “other half,” in a bond supported by strong love expected to last a lifetime.

These cultural and environmental shifts have undermined the innate biological drives that previously sustained sufficient reproduction.

Contraception allows the separation of sex and reproduction, undermining biological drives previously leading to childbirth. The cultural evolution where not having children can be voluntary, or even recommended, along with antinatalist beliefs, has decreased societal pressure to reproduce.

Without the same societal pressures and incentives, people's desire to have children is no longer strong enough to overcome the practical challenges and costs of raising a family.

Women have achieved socioeconomic success and egalitaria ...

Larsen voices the urgent need to address the fertility crisis to avert the challenges of an aging population and potential societal disintegration.

Simply providing financial incentives or benefits for having children has not proven effective in boosting fertility rates.

While there are no explicit mentions of the effectiveness of financial incentives in boosting fertility rates in the provided content, the broader conversation acknowledges that simply addressing financial and temporal costs associated with raising children is insufficient. The underlying cultural and psychological factors driving fertility decline require more than monetary policies to shift.

Addressing the fertility crisis will require experimenting with novel approaches that target the fundamental shifts in mating dynamics and cultural norms.

Mads Larsen asserts that Scandinavian countries, recognized for their advancements in gender equality and tradition of national debate, could lead experiments to address the fertility crisis. Their cultural characteristics, such as cohesive populations and vibrant discussions, make them ideal candidates for testing new societal approaches that aim to incentivize and allow for greater fertility without compromising female freedom.

Larsen proposes a baseline "suicide pact" ensuring that female freedoms, as of 2024, can never be threatened while exploring new dating and mating methods that maintain these liberties. Any interventions should avoid heavy-handed approaches but instead should be tailored to each community's cultural legacy.

Reassessing Cultural Adaptations and Expectations

The complexity of shifting cultural and psychological factors driving fertility decline suggests that interventions must move beyond existing financial and temporal considerations. Larsen indicates that merely telling women to lower their standards or men to do better is not a viable solution. Instead, the focus should be on making men more attractive to women and finding communal solutions that resonate with specific cultural legacies.

Larsen's discussion advocates for trial and error in exploring new approaches to mating and dating that consider the evolutionary changes and adapt without threatening female freedoms. He speaks of a need to try different solutions, cautioning against the passivity that stems from resignati ...