Remote Work and Fertility: How Working From Home Could Spark a U.S. Baby Boom
A Stanford-led study finds hybrid work boosts family size, potentially adding 100,000 births a year in the U.S.
As nations around the world grapple with declining birth rates, researchers in the United States are exploring remote work as a potential solution that could spark a “baby boom.” A new study covering 38 countries, including the U.S., found a positive link between working from home and fertility rates.
Remote Work and Higher Fertility
The study revealed that individuals who worked from home at least one day per week reported having more children and greater intentions to expand their families than those working exclusively in offices.
According to Professor Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University, one of the study’s authors, “working from home encourages couples to have children” by saving time, reducing commuting stress, and improving work-life balance.
Couples where both partners worked in hybrid arrangements were found to have one-third more children than their fully in-office counterparts. On a national scale, this could translate into an additional 100,000 births per year in the United States, with an estimated $100 billion boost in consumer spending.
Family Benefits Beyond Fertility
Remote-working parents also reported spending more time with their children, improving both the quality of parenting and family life. Bloom pointed to Scandinavian countries as an example, where pro-family policies like parental leave and subsidized childcare have helped increase birth rates. He argued that flexible work arrangements could complement such policies in the U.S. context.
The Ongoing Debate
Not all experts agree. While many believe that expanding remote work will encourage families to have more children, skeptics argue that cultural factors — such as strong individualism and career prioritization in the U.S. — remain the biggest influences on family size.
Analysts stress that the U.S. government, as the nation’s largest employer, could lead the shift by adopting more flexible work policies, pressuring private companies to follow.
Declining Fertility in the U.S.
The urgency is clear: America’s fertility rate fell to 1.599 children per woman in 2024, far below the replacement level of 2.1. With population growth slowing, researchers conclude that “remote work doesn’t just add years to life, it adds life to those years.”
