Pronatalist belief system
A pronatalist belief system is a belief system that encourages and rewards having children, with the rewards increasing as the number of children increases. Pronatalist belief systems may be contrasted with pronatalist policy. This is explicit policy designed and implemented by governments or other powerful agents to encourage having children.
- Having children is fun or personally fulfilling.
- Procreation is an important goal of life, and it is therefore virtuous to fulfill this goal better by having more children.
- Continuing the family line: Some families want children so that they can pass on their inheritance and continue the family line.
- Increasing the number of people who share one's beliefs and values: The beliefs and values of children are positively correlated to those of parents, due to a combination of genetics and upbringing.
- Increasing the size of one's national, religious, or regional community. National leaders sometimes extol their populations to have more children in order to be more patriotic.
- Having children to care for one in old age.
- Maintaining a healthy dependency ratio in the future so that the economy can function well in the short term and retirement pension systems stay solvent.
- Increasing population for more economic growth and technological progress (the Simon-Kremer-Caplan view).