Catherine Pakaluk is an associate professor of social research and economic thought at the Catholic University of America. Courtesy | Catherine Pakaluk
The self-imposed obligations of family life could save American democracy by providing a safeguard against selfish individualism, said Catherine Pakaluk, author of a new book on college-educated women who have large families, in a speech hosted by Praxis Oct. 3.
“My subjects described their choice to have many children as a deliberate rejection of an autonomous, customized, self-regarding lifestyle in favor of a way of life intentionally limited by the demands of motherhood,” Pakaluk said. “They are motivated by a deeply biblical worldview, characterized by trust in God and hope in his providence.”
Praxis, Hillsdale’s political economy group, hosted Pakaluk, an associate professor of social research and economic thought at the Catholic University of America, to speak about her book “Hannah’s Children: The Stories of Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth,” which was published in March.
In the book, Pakaluk seeks to understand why a small fraction of American women are having at least five children, despite the nation’s current “birth dearth,” which has lowered the demographic standard greatly.
Pakaluk interviewed 55 college-educated women raising five or more children.
Pakaluk said her subjects had a few things in common — they spoke of a life of religious seriousness and viewed openness to children as a way of living, not just a specific window of time.
“They spoke of self-sacrifice, but not of losing themselves,” Pakaluk said. “They believed they found themselves in having children and that their personalities and capacities expanded indeed so richly as to give rise to other persons.”
These women said raising children for a large portion of their lives cultivated the characteristics necessary to live well with others and work for the good of the community.
“They believe that living with needy, young children for an extended period of life fosters other regarding virtues necessary for egalitarianism and civic friendship, such as empathy, generosity, solidarity, and self-denial,” she said.
One of Pakaluk’s subjects, called “Hannah,” said the family structure links everyone like a chain, imposing a communitarian existence. For example, the subjects frequently may have grandparents, children, or grandchildren living nearby, sometimes within a few blocks of each other.
“Across generations, individuals have ancestors to whom they have debts and offspring to whom they have responsibilities,” Pakaluk said. “Childbearing cancels debts, as it were, giving rise to new obligations. We would say, paying it forward.”
By having kids, “Hannah” believes one can become part of a “chain of infinity,” Pakaluk said.
According to Pakaluk, “Hannah” said the eternal status conferred on an individual for having kids makes her “equal in dignity to her kin for all time.”
The family embodies elements of egalitarianism, communitarianism, and hierarchy simultaneously, Pakaluk said.
Self-imposed responsibilities within a flourishing family life counteract selfish forms of individualism, according to Pakaluk. Through strong families, democracy in America may successfully cultivate the private and public virtues that concerned political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville, she said.
“Hannah’s familial chain is a perfect image of the paradox that she and my subjects describe,” Pakaluk said. “A single link in the chain cannot do its own thing, but the link is never alone. She knows where she’s been, she knows where she’s going. She finds her purpose in the ties of the chain.”
Pakaluk’s idea that pro-natalist policies are bound to fail because people have children for “reasons of the heart” particularly resonated with senior Olivia Michiels, the public relations officer for Praxis.
“Pakaluk’s talk is quite pertinent to the lives of many women on campus,” Michiels said. “Sharing the words and beliefs of such a small slice of the population — women with five or more kids — is so valuable and allows people to consider different ideas about what family can mean.”
Senior Kelly Behling said she disagrees with the implication that women have to choose between motherhood and career.
“I don’t think those things are mutually exclusive,” Behling said. “Having children should absolutely be encouraged and viewed as a blessing. But if a woman elects to pursue a career at the same time, I think that’s perfectly fine too.”
Behling said Pakaluk’s lecture shed light on very pressing issues, including declining fertility rates and the breakdown of nuclear families.
“There needs to be more individuals like her speaking on this topic,” Behling said. “Especially to college students, who are approaching a stage in their lives where the main concern is balancing career and family needs.”