A phenomenon that Elon Musk has called ‘the greatest risk to the future of civilisation’ just got worse, according to a new study.
In the United States, the fertility rate has declined to 1.6 births per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1. Australia is facing a similar trend, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reporting a record low fertility rate of 1.50 in 2023 due to fewer births in most states and territories.
Elon Musk—father of 14 children with four different women—regularly warns that declining birth rates in the West signal societal collapse. The irony is gender equality is being blamed for this trend as apparently, women having rights is more alarming than unaffordable rent.
The decline in birth rates is not solely due to women delaying childbirth for education or career. Increasingly, many are choosing not to have children at all. In Australia, birth rates among women aged 15–19 have fallen by more than two-thirds, and there’s been a significant decline among women aged 20–24. Interestingly, the fertility rate for women aged 40–44 has nearly doubled over the past 30 years.
These shifts reflect broader societal changes that include economic pressures, housing affordability, job insecurity, and climate anxiety all play a role. Yet, gender equality and feminism are often singled out as culprits.
Rather than focus on solutions for these broader challenges faced by people today, some conservative commentators have taken this opportunity to attack women’s rights. On social media and certain media outlets, the rhetoric has been inflammatory. Claims range from “they used feminism to get women into the workforce”, “we somehow need to encourage these young women having abortions to consider adoption for their unborn”, women shouldn’t be allowed to play sport instead “they should be forcefully subjugated impregnated and forced to have kids” and ‘we need mothers not women”.
One particularly offensive example came from musician Kid Rock, who, during a televised rant on Fox News, blamed liberal women for the U.S. birth rate decline, making derogatory remarks blaming “ugly a–” liberal women for the falling birth rate in the U.S and he went further to say “It just hit me right now because who’s going to sleep with these ugly a– broke, crazy, deranged, TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome], liberal women..I mean, you look at these rallies, it’s like a bunch of women that no guy wants to sleep with, and a bunch of dudes that want to sleep with each other.”
If we’re handing out hotness scores, maybe Kid Rock should sit this round out—glass houses and all that. Ironically, Rock himself has only one child. Such comments not only degrade women but also distract from the real issues at hand.
It’s important to recognise that countries with the highest fertility rates often have the lowest levels of gender equality. In these places, women have limited access to education, contraception, and economic independence. Suggesting that women in developed nations should give up their rights to boost birth rates is not only regressive—it’s dangerous.
Low birth rates are not the result of “radical feminism.” They are the result of a society that has not adapted to support modern families. Today, most households cannot survive on a single income. The idea that women should stay home while men work is no longer economically viable for the majority. If we want to address declining birth rates, we need to stop blaming women and start fixing the systems around them such as affordable childcare and paid parental leave, flexible work arrangements for all parents, shared domestic responsibilities between partners and economic policies that make housing and healthcare more accessible
Conservatives who insist that women should stay home and raise children—as if it’s still 1985—seem to have missed the memo: living on a single income is a luxury most families can no longer afford. The cost of living has skyrocketed, but somehow the expectation that women should quietly exit the workforce and embrace full-time motherhood persists. And even if a woman wants to work, pursue a career, and raise a family—why is that still treated like a radical act?
We love to say “it takes a village to raise a child,” but let’s be honest: the village has packed up and left. Affordable childcare is scarce, flexible work arrangements are still a privilege, and the unpaid labour of housework and emotional load continues to fall disproportionately on women. Women aren’t just expected to do it all—we want to. We want to raise children, build careers, maintain households, chase dreams, and shape the world around us. And guess what? We’re allowed to. The problem isn’t women wanting it all—it’s a society that still hasn’t caught up to support us in doing so.
Meanwhile, men are rarely asked how they balance fatherhood with ambition yet women are still scrutinised for wanting a slice of the same pie. Why is it that when men have ambition, it’s admirable—but when women do, it’s a threat to family values and civilisation?
Whilst data shows that countries advancing gender equality tend to have lower birth rates, in 2025, women have the right to choose how they live their lives—whether that means having children, pursuing a career, or both. The right to choose is not a threat to civilisation; it’s a cornerstone of a just and equitable society. Instead of asking women to sacrifice their autonomy, we should be asking how we can build a world where people can thrive as individuals, as parents, and as members of a community.
Funny how Elon Musk is sounding the alarm on population decline, yet somehow isn’t the one juggling 14 school drop-offs, laundry loads, dinner prep, and parent-teacher interviews between board meetings. Must be nice to save civilisation while someone else handles the bedtime routines. It’s almost like being a father of 14 is a full-time job—just not his.