THE EXPLODING HUMAN with Bob Nickman STEPHEN J. SHAW: BIRTHGAP:, : EPISODE 152
Acclaimed data scientist and documentarian STEPHEN J. SHAW, the filmmaker behind the new documentary BIRTHGAP: Childless World,talks about the future of our sociieties as a result of declining birthrates.
For the last 70 years, fertility rates have decreased by 50% worldwide, yet few of us have been thinking about the social and economic impact that communities will need to prepare for. The new film, shot in 24 countries, explores the phenomenon of the global birthrate decline through the lens of multiple societies worldwide to better understand why this is happening in the first place and how it will drastically affect the social and economic structures in the future.
“What we’re seeing is our societies are not preparing us for what lies ahead,” Shaw states.“We’re heading towards a future with too few taxpayers and too many retirees to support, communities that will decay with too few people left to live there, escalating taxes and intense challenges to maintain levels of pensions, healthcare, and welfare.”