Dad-of-6 and Time's Person of the Year Elon Musk Thinks We Aren't Having Enough Kids
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At a Wall Street Journal event on Dec. 7, Elon Musk, dad of 6 and Time’s 2021 Person of the Year, told the crowd that he believes people aren’t having enough kids. Musk, who is the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, is certainly doing his part as he is dad of twins Griffin and Xavier, 17, and triplets Damian, Kai, and Saxon, 15, with ex Justine Musk, as well as X Æ A-Xii (pronounced “X Ash A Twelve”) with ex Grimes.
During the event, Musk said, “There are not enough people. I can’t emphasize this enough, there are not enough people.”
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He referenced many “good, smart people” not wanting to have kids. According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, 44% of non-parent adults in the U.S. say they are unlikely to ever have children with reasons ranging from “concerns about climate change and the environment” to just not wanting kids.
In his comments, Musk said the over-population argument isn’t true, adding, “It’s completely the opposite,” while urging people to look at the data. “If people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble. Mark my words.”
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A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in May 2021 showed that the provisional number of U.S. births in 2020 was down 4% from 2019, with the general fertility rate at 55.8 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44, which was a record low for the nation.
There are many reasons why a declining birth rate can be bad for the earth and society, including reducing population sizes at a faster rate and shrinking labor forces, leading to economic decline. An article in The New York Times said the pandemic may have contributed to the declining birth rate, as “births tend to dip after economic crises, as women put off having babies because of uncertainty with jobs and income.” However, the declining birth rate could also be a sign that women have more choices when it comes to pregnancy — and they are simply choosing not to be parents right now.
If all kids were as cute as Musk’s latest baby, who is sometimes referred to as “Little X,” it would be an easier decision to have more kids! Musk brought his son on stage last night at the Time event in New York City, according to a video shared on Twitter by Marc Benioff, owner of Time Magazine. The video showed the crowd “aww”-ing at the rare sight of Musk’s son, who sat a bit restlessly on his dad’s lap in pictures also shared by Benioff.
What do you think about Musk’s comments to have more kids? Six kids is a lot, so we definitely know that isn’t a sustainable plan for everyone!
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