Working from home might be the best way to get people to have more kids.
March 24, 2026
Original Paper
Work from Home and Fertility
SSRN · 6456618
The Takeaway
In an era of plummeting birth rates, this study of 38 economies found that remote workers have significantly more biological children and plan for larger families than their office-bound peers. When both partners work from home, total lifetime fertility increases by an average of 0.2 children, suggesting the physical requirement of the office is a primary friction for modern family expansion.
From the abstract
We establish a positive relationship between work from home (WFH) and fertility, drawing on our Global Survey of Working Arrangements (38 economies, N = 19,241) and our US Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (N = 102,411). Respondents who WFH at least 1 day per week had more biological children from 2021 to early 2025, and plan to have more children in the future, compared to observationally similar persons who do not WFH. Respondents whose spouse or domestic partner works from home als