korrents

What Alice Evans thinks about demographics

@alice-evans · 23 positions · 0 changes of mind

Senior lecturer in international development at King's College London, writing The Great Gender Divergence at ggd.world. She compares why men's and women's lives are converging in some societies and diverging in others, mixing survey data with her own interviews across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Alice Evans did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

9 dated positions, 2024 to 2025, in their own words. Our reading of what Alice Evans has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingOnce women control their own fertility they have children only when they expect a reward for it, so the case for parenthood has to compete with everything else on offer.

    Their wordsOnce women are in control of their fertility, they only procreate if they expect rewards - whether that is personal fulfillment or social approval.

    ↗How do we Boost Birth Rates?ggd.world 1st of 6 in this piece

    Interesting

  3. Our readingCulture can be changed, so falling birth rates are a fixable problem rather than a one-way ratchet of modernity.

    Their wordsMy qualitative research has taught me one thing: culture is malleable! So surely this issue is fixable!

    ↗How do we Boost Birth Rates?ggd.world 6th of 6 in this piece

    Interesting
  4. 4 months earlier

  5. Our readingMarriage and birth rates are collapsing across the Middle East and North Africa even though religiosity there has not weakened.

    Their wordsThe Middle East, North Africa and Anatolia are witnessing a rapid decline in coupling and fertility. This should rock your priors.

    ↗Why are Marriage & Fertility Plummeting in MENA?ggd.world 1st of 4 in this piece

    Interesting

  7. Our readingFalling birth rates ended cousin marriage in the Arab world by leaving too few cousins, pushing marriage onto individual choice.

    Their wordsBut over the past 50 years, there has been a massive decline in fertility. This entails fewer cousins of a suitable age.

    ↗Why are Marriage & Fertility Plummeting in MENA?ggd.world 4th of 4 in this piece

    Interesting
  8. 4 months earlier

  9. Our readingJapan's decades of stagnation were caused by its shrinking working-age population rather than by its monetary policy.

    Their wordsThe key difference wasn't policy - it was demographics. Japan's working-age population is shrinking.

    ↗Why is Fertility Collapsing, Globally?ggd.world 1st of 11 in this piece

    Japan

    Interesting

  11. Our readingAny theory of the fall in birth rates must explain both the worldwide collapse and the differences between countries, and most theories explain only one.

    Their wordsIt must explain both the global collapse and local variation.

    ↗Why is Fertility Collapsing, Globally?ggd.world 6th of 11 in this piece

    Interesting

  13. Our readingRising female autonomy cannot be the cause of falling birth rates, because births have collapsed just as fast in countries where women's freedom is heavily restricted.

    Their wordsNicolas Eberstadt speculates that it’s all about rising autonomy. But that can’t explain why fertility has also plummeted in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India, where women are often heavily restricted.

    ↗Why is Fertility Collapsing, Globally?ggd.world 7th of 11 in this piece

    Interesting

  15. Our readingGovernment payments and benefits aimed at raising birth rates do not reverse the decline.

    Their wordsAcross the OECD, governments are upping their spending. But a wealth of research suggests these fail to mitigate the downward trend.

    ↗Why is Fertility Collapsing, Globally?ggd.world 8th of 11 in this piece

    government

    Interesting

  17. Our readingSomething is broken in how people pair up in the West, and that shortage of couples and marriages, not money, is why there are too few children.

    Their wordsFrom the 1960s, US fertility fell primarily due to fewer births among couples. In that context, baby bonuses might raise fertility. But today, the major contributing factor is the decline of coupling.

    ↗Why is Fertility Collapsing, Globally?ggd.world 9th of 11 in this piece

    Interesting