Could Homeownership Reverse the Decline in Birthrates?

Puzzling over the reasons for today’s baby bust, a pair of economists went back to the last baby boom for answers.

What they found sheds new light on how personal finances affect the decision to have children: Homeownership increases the birth rate.

Experts have long been skeptical that the two-decade decline in the birthrate was related to people’s pocketbooks. They reason that as the birthrate has been falling, household income has been rising and poorer women have been more likely to have more children than richer women.

But Melissa S. Kearney, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame, and Lisa J. Dettling, an economist at the Federal Reserve Board, found an economic connection that was less about price and more about ownership.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/us/home-mortgage-program-birthrate-decline.html