<p><strong>Why are people having fewer children than they say they want?</strong> In this episode, writer and policy thinker <strong>Phoebe Arslanagić-Little</strong> joins me to discuss the UK fertility crisis and what she calls the <strong>“birth gap”</strong>: the gap between the number of children people say they want and the number they actually have. We talk about why this is not just about money, but a mix of culture, career timing, housing, childcare, social norms, and the feeling that you need to reach some elusive state of readiness before having children.</p><p>We also get into maternity pay, paternity leave, grandparents, childcare, state signals, dating apps, and what surprised Phoebe most about becoming a mother. </p><p>As she puts it, <strong>“I don’t really subscribe to any of the theories that say, oh, it’s this one thing. I think it genuinely is like a confluence of factors.”</strong> And on the role of government: <strong>“I think the state should very openly say there are people who want to have children. We think that’s great. We’d like to help them.”</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.thendobetter.com/investing/2026/3/22/phoebe-arslanagi-little-on-fertility-family-policy-and-the-birth-gap" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Transcript: https://www.thendobetter.com/investing/2026/3/22/phoebe-arslanagi-little-on-fertility-family-policy-and-the-birth-gap</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Contents:</strong></p><p>00:00 Fertility Crisis Defined</p><p>01:25 Overpopulation Narrative Origins</p><p>03:22 Is the Birth Gap Real</p><p>04:59 Why People Delay Kids</p><p>06:41 Culture and Readiness Standards</p><p>09:51 Policy Levers to Boost Births</p><p>13:06 Making Birth Less Traumatic</p><p>15:13 Paternity Leave and Social Engineering</p><p>22:05 State Neutrality and Universal Benefits</p><p>27:36 Grandparents and Informal Childcare</p><p>31:24 Single Parents and China Lessons</p><p>34:52 Best Family Policy Levers</p><p>36:33 Childcare Costs and Incentives</p><p>38:31 Childcare Ratios Debate</p><p>40:21 Safety Versus Deregulation</p><p>41:33 Underrated Overrated Round</p><p>42:20 Food Fears and Animal Welfare</p><p>45:12 Astrology and Lab Meat</p><p>47:41 Pubs Alcohol and E Bikes</p><p>52:18 Dating Apps and Social Mixing</p><p>58:49 Writing Process and Motherhood</p><p>01:01:49 Projects Advice and Wrap Up</p><p><br></p>