JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, is attracting considerable attention for his earlier claims that Americans ought to have more children.

His resurfaced 2021 remarks labeling Vice President Kamala Harris a “childless cat lady” have gone viral and stirred controversy. Additionally, Vance has been reported saying that teachers should have their own children and warning that car seats might hinder families from expanding. Interestingly, he has also supported expanding the child tax credit, a campaign promise of Harris, to promote a more “pro-family” environment.

In light of the global decline in fertility rates, many nations have adopted strategies aimed at encouraging larger families, a perspective known as pronatalism. However, historical analysis shows that such pronatalist messages and policies have often emerged in reaction to women’s rights movements and immigration issues, frequently carrying racist undertones. Historians interviewed by YSL News noted that current discussions around this topic echo much of what they’ve observed from earlier decades.

Declining Fertility Rates Prompt Growing Pronatalist Policies

A recent United Nations report highlights a global decline in fertility rates, with the fertility rate now one child lower per woman than three decades ago. Over half of the countries have fertility rates that no longer support population maintenance.

The UK-based organization Population Matters advocates for reducing population growth as a means to enhance sustainability and human rights. Their 2021 report, titled “Welcome to Gilead,” which references the dystopian narrative of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” indicates that the number of countries with pronatalist policies has risen to 30% from the 10% recorded in the 1970s.

While not all pronatalist policies impose restrictions on reproductive rights, some countries, including Russia, Turkey, Poland, Iran, and China, do follow this trend.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has promoted pro-family economic strategies as a response to immigration challenges amid declining demographics, according to the Associated Press.

In Italy, far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, who became the country’s first female leader in 2022, has initiated financial support for mothers. However, Diana Garvin, a scholar in fascism and Italian politics at the University of Oregon, noted that funding for this initiative is being drawn from immigration budgets.

“Their intention is to increase birth rates specifically among ethnic Italians,” Garvin shared with YSL News.

Historical Pronatalism and its Connection to Racial Dynamics

This isn’t Italy’s first experience with pronatalist policies. During the interwar years, under fascist rule, women with six or more children enjoyed higher chances of receiving public housing. Additionally, a “bachelor tax” targeted men aged 26 and older without children, disproportionately affecting gay men, and maternal healthcare was transferred to state governance.

The theme of pronatalism isn’t new in the U.S. either. University of Pittsburgh history professor Laura Lovett, who has extensively researched this topic, explained that it often surfaced as a direct response to immigration during the early 20th century.

“As a historian, I find it astonishing how frequently current news reflects ideas I’ve seen in historical records from the 1910s to the 1930s,” Lovett told YSL News.

The 26th President Theodore Roosevelt strongly advocated for families to have more children. He believed this was crucial to prevent “race suicide,” a term referenced by eugenicist Edward Ross, which suggested that white, native-born Americans were at risk of losing their prominence to competing ethnic groups, according to Lovett.

While the eugenics movement may have lost favor, Lovett’s research indicates that the legacy of the American Eugenics Society significantly influenced post-World War II housing policies, with enduring racial consequences still felt today.

Parallels Between Current Remarks and Past Backlashes Against Women’s Rights

JD Vance is not the only high-profile figure emphasizing the urgency for increased birth rates. Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is reported to have 12 children, has promoted childbearing as a remedy for the declining global population. However, as Trump’s running mate, Vance’s previous statements carry heightened significance as he aims for a more powerful position.

Lovett likened Vance’s term “childless cat ladies” to critiques from early 20th-century men who claimed women preferred material pursuits over marriage and motherhood while simultaneously advocating for their voting rights.

Garvin noted that Vance’s remarks resonate with the societal anxieties seen during the 1920s flapper era, as traditional values faced challenges from evolving gender roles and expectations.

Gender roles have often been criticized, particularly targeting urban, educated women as symbols of the problems with femininity during that era.

However, beyond these viral remarks, similar themes are emerging in the current election, with immigration and reproductive rights being significant concerns for voters.

YSL News has reached out for comments from the Trump-Vance campaign.