This episode of The Hearth Matters Podcast is a very special one for me and Kathryn. That’s because we met on a call hosted by our guest this week, Stephen Shaw, the director and producer of the documentary Birthgap - Childless World.
Birthgap is about why people are having so few kids these days and what that means for both individuals and societies. We dig into the data around falling birth rates and the cultural norms that lead some women to delay motherhood until it’s too late. We also discuss how unplanned childlessness impacts men, would-be grandparents and the future of humanity.
I’ll come right out with my bias by sharing that Stephen’s film totally rocked my world, not least because it catalyzed this podcast and my writing to you here.
I had just turned 29 when I saw it in March of 2023. Having caught baby fever over the previous year, I knew my then-fiancé and I would start trying to get pregnant soon after our wedding that summer. A younger version of myself would tell you that I was right on track: marriage by 30, a baby or two by 35.
Through Birthgap, I learned that half (or more) of my sisters, peers and friends who also set their sights on having their first baby in their 30s might instead become childless by age 45. I was shocked and saddened. The data was compelling, but the stories of women who missed out on motherhood for this or that reason were heartbreaking.
I came to realize that our culture and education systems are failing young people by not teaching them that fertility is precious, time is short and life should be ordered accordingly. So, I joined the virtual feedback session hoping to connect with anyone else who wanted to do something about it.
The group was small enough that each of us could introduce ourselves and our personal interest in the documentary. Kathryn, with her husband Bruce by her side, briefly described her idea for a nonprofit focused on increasing the social and economic status of mothers and householders. The rest is Hearth Matters history.
Kathryn and I are incredibly grateful to Stephen for a thoughtful, thought-provoking conversation (the first of many, we hope), for building the forum around Birthgap that connected the two of us and for all of his work in bringing attention to a complex and significant issue facing us all.
Enjoy; then watch Part I of Birthgap on YouTube.
–Erin, with baby Brynn who is three months old and napping happily on my chest
P.S., you can read the transcript of this episode on the Substack post.
Find Part II & Part III and follow Stephen Shaw’s work at birthgap.org
E24 | Birthgap: The Documentary About Falling Birthrates and Unplanned Childlessness with Stephen J Shaw