In this lively conversation, Emily Oster, a Harvard-educated economist, challenges traditional parenting norms with her data-driven insights on pregnancy and child-rearing. Joined by Nellie Bowles, they discuss navigating parenting dilemmas during the pandemic. Oster's thoughts on controversial topics, like reopening schools and differing maternal health guidelines, create sparks. With a blend of humor and research, they redefine informed parenting, emphasizing personal choice over societal pressure while sharing personal anecdotes from their own parenting journeys.
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Expecting Better: A Godsend
Bari Weiss and Nellie Bowles found Emily Oster's book "Expecting Better" helpful during pregnancy.
They appreciated Oster's data-driven approach, which challenged traditional pregnancy advice.
insights INSIGHT
Oster's Controversial Stances
Emily Oster has received criticism for her views on alcohol consumption and co-sleeping during pregnancy.
Her data-driven approach challenges conventional wisdom and empowers parents to make informed decisions.
insights INSIGHT
Declining Fertility Rates
Fertility rates are declining globally, influenced by factors like climate change concerns.
Some people question the ethics of having children in the current global climate.
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A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool
Emily Oster
In 'Cribsheet', Emily Oster applies her economic perspective to the challenges of early parenting. The book debunks myths and conventional wisdom by analyzing research and scientific studies on various parenting issues such as breastfeeding, circumcision, sleep training, and childcare. Oster emphasizes that there is often no single 'right' answer and that decisions should be based on a combination of data and what works best for each family's unique circumstances. The book aims to empower parents with a decision framework, helping them navigate the complexities of parenting with a calm and informed approach.
The Family Firm
Emily Oster
In 'The Family Firm', Emily Oster uses her background as an economist and business school professor to provide a framework for parents to make informed decisions about their children's education, health, extracurricular activities, and independence. The book introduces the 'Family Firm Toolbox', which includes the 'Four F's': Framing the Question, Fact-Finding, Final Decision, and Follow-Up. Oster emphasizes the importance of a systematic approach to family decision-making, drawing parallels between managing a business and managing a family. The book covers various topics such as choosing the right school, encouraging a healthy diet, and navigating day-to-day family logistics, all with a focus on reducing stress and making better decisions[2][3][5].
Expecting better
Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong—and What You Really Need to Know
Emily Oster
In *Expecting Better*, Emily Oster, an award-winning economist, evaluates the data behind conventional pregnancy rules and discovers that many are misguided or flat-out wrong. The book explains everything from the real effects of caffeine and alcohol to the surprising dangers of gardening, aiming to empower pregnant women to make their own informed decisions and enjoy a healthy and relaxed pregnancy. It is organized into sections covering conception, each trimester, and labor and delivery, making it accessible and practical for pregnant women.
All Joy and No Fun
Jennifer Senior
When my wife Nellie was pregnant last year, we became obsessed with Economist Emily Oster’s book, Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong–and What You Really Need to Know. Amidst a barrage of conflicting and confusing pregnancy advice, Oster laid out the data on everything we needed to know. Despite what doctors said, sushi, cheese, and the occasional glass of wine were all okay during those nine long months. It gave us the much needed calm we needed during a time of so much uncertainty.
With her two subsequent books Cribsheet and The Family Firm, Oster popularized a new phenomenon that has defined our generation of parents: data-driven parenting. It ditches the long lists of paternalistic rules, and instead examines peer-reviewed evidence and lets parents make their own informed decisions about their kids based on risks and tradeoffs.
Nowhere was the Oster mentality more front and center, and more divisive, than during Covid. She argued very early on in the pandemic for less draconian and more nuanced policies. She wrote pieces in the Atlantic like, Schools Aren’t Superspreadersand Your Unvaccinated Kids Is Like A Vaccinated Grandma, when those words were considered heresy. And while she made quite a few enemies on the left over the last few years, recently she wrote Let’s Declare A Pandemic Amnesty, and earned herself some enemies on the right as well.
Today, my wife Nellie Bowles joins me to talk to Oster about why a Harvard-educated economist at Brown University decided to become a parenting guru, how she used her parenting framework to become a leading expert on pandemic policies, and the unwinnable position of… actually following the science.
Honestly with Bari Weiss 
