TRADITION Questions: Parenthood, Happiness & Meaning
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What is it?
A June 2024 report issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development revealed that Israel’s fertility rate far exceeds that of all other OECD nations, with 2.9 children per woman, followed by Mexico and France with 1.8 children per woman, and almost twice the OECD average of 1.5. The five member states with the highest birth rates have experienced the sharpest decline, but “Israel breaks this trend.”
In March 2024, the World Happiness Report placed Israel as number five in its ranking of happiest countries. The report analyzed comprehensive Gallup polling data from 143 countries for the past three years, specifically monitoring performance in six particular categories: gross domestic product per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make one’s own life choices, generosity of the general population, and perceptions of internal and external corruption levels. Six out of the top seven happiest countries in the world for 2024 were Northern European countries; Israel was the outlier. Finland came in first place, followed (in order) by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Why does it matter?
In times of crisis, seeing beyond the momentary can give a society confidence and courage. These reports reflect years of data and are not dramatically affected by events since October 7. That Israel maintains a birthrate far above replacement and far above any other country in the OECD says darsheini – explain me. That Israel is the lone country outside of Northern Europe amongst the happiest of 143 countries similarly begs an explanation.
(Clarification: The following explanation addresses the decision to have or not have children. It does not address those who have not raised children on account of infertility or singlehood.)
In rationalizing why many in Western society now choose to have children later in life or not at all, the OECD suggested, “Both young men and women increasingly find meaning in life outside of parenthood.” This would imply that in Israel meaning outside of parenting is less prevalent—a dubious proposition. Might we instead suggest that in Israel, men and women see greater meaning in parenthood? In Israel, do mothers and fathers have more certainty that children are an unqualified good and that raising them is an activity freighted with positive meaning? Might such positive meaning within parenthood reflect a happiness within life more broadly?
The willingness to bring children into this world and to make the necessary sacrifices to rear them requires optimism and confidence in the value of life itself. Is there something that Israel can “export” regarding life’s meaning that might help other nations gain such confidence?
What questions remain?
Do Jewish communities in the diaspora have a fertility above that of the OECD average, similar to Israel?
To make the necessary sacrifices to create life in future generations, modern societies must help their members answer the question, “What makes life worthwhile?” To what extent does the Torah and/or belief in an intergenerational Jewish story make that choice more likely in Israel and among diaspora communities?
Even if they wish it, not every man and woman receives the blessing of children. A childless couple suffers unique anguish. How do cultures like Israel and Jewish communities worldwide socialize toward fertility, while remaining sensitive toward and inclusive of those who are not so blessed?
The Israeli fertility rate of 2.9 children can be divided amongst different demographics within the country. A 2020 report of the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research found the total fertility rate among ultra-Orthodox women in Israel was 6.6, and among secular women it stood at 2.0—still above the OECD average. What do these numbers say about childbearing as a contribution to a collective Jewish goal?
Chaim Strauchler, rabbi of Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck, is an Associate Editor of TRADITION.