Conversation

The more I think about this thread, the more I think it’s probably one of the most important things currently on Twitter. Large populations of lonely, celibate people isn’t socially or economically good in any scenario. It’s more likely to be really, really bad.

Quote Tweet

Samuel Hammond

@hamandcheese

Jan 3, 2019

David Autor's work shows the falling status of men relative to women in the same age cohort, particularly non-college educated men, has contributed to declining male labor force participation, less family formation and a host of other social problems. There's no need for snark. twitter.com/drvolts/status…

Show this thread

Sara Bollman

@SaraBollman

Jan 6, 2019

Failure to see this as much greater than petty competition between genders indicates an incredibly poor understanding of the basic human need for connectedness, on both practical/existential levels + subsequent impact on individual/societal well-being when connections fall apart.

Replying to

@amymastrine

i don’t think fewer families is actually a problem in the overall sense. Our population sure isn’t in trouble. Categorizing these things as an problem is what seems to be the real problem. It seems to me the people having kids are a lot more conscious.

Replying to

and

I think fewer families could be a problem in the overall sense for the basic reason that life w/o meaning or connection to others/community is the most obvious cause of depression. Families are good for connection & children are good at providing a sense of purpose.

Replying to

and

Sure, humans have plenty of other options for having these needs met, but few are proactive about exploring them, especially if already unfulfilled. Chasing a fancy career might feel exciting in your 20s; population-wise, the vast majority hate their work & find no meaning.

Replying to

and

This is a problem for women more than men, obviously, because fertility.

Replying to

and

But also, undoubtedly, as someone who has always earned more than my male counterparts in relationship, i think this is also partly about the feminist movement and being a career oriented gal with a degree in comp sci in 1991. Very progressive.

Replying to

and

Ya- I think women of your generation got the short of the stick in some ways. 😞 The internet changes everything. I can realistically imagine having children AND some kind of part-time, remote career w/o having to be away from them 40+ hrs/wk. That wasn’t always an option.

5:40 PM · Jan 8, 2019Twitter for iPhone

Replying to

and

True story. But we also made possible so much of what is going on today and that is it’s own reward as well. things are soooooooo much better now than they were in the 90s. Or 70s. It’s crazy how far we’ve come. We also don’t know how time will change this.

Replying to

and

Absolutely!! I have great appreciation + admiration for the women who did all the groundbreaking work. Most faced significant trade offs to do it. BECAUSE the ground’s been broken tho, it seems that younger women now are creating a false dichotomy for themselves.

Show replies

Replying to

and

How i mean that is maybe the pendulum has swung one way and maybe it will swing back. Keep in mind women have only been really individuate and empowered less than 100 years. Not very long when you think about it.

This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more

Show replies