Generation Maybe

Generation Maybe Synopsis

The definitive investigation by an award-winning journalist into why - across continents, classes, cultures and religions - we're having fewer children

'Wise, compassionate and non-judgmental' EMILY MAITLIS
'A lively, deeply empathetic survey … it will make you want to revolt or go forth and multiply. Or both' Sunday Times
'Fresh and fascinating' AMOL RAJAN
'Drawing on a wealth of reporting ... focusing on the lived experience of men and women … There is no hectoring or finger-wagging ... Generation Maybe illuminates the enormous gulf between popular talking points about fertility and the actual conversations potential parents are having' Guardian

In Britain, one in five couples have no children, and almost half of all families have only one. The populations of China, Japan, Russia and Italy are shrinking. Pronatalists cry that feminism has killed the family. Governments throw money at childcare. Would-be grandparents wring their hands at the apparent selfishness of the young. But the conversation is in the wrong place.

Camilla Cavendish offers a startling blend of data and stories to uncover what is really driving the baby bust, meeting people with a diverse range of experiences, including millennial women going it alone, men who've missed out and communities quietly bucking the trend. Rather than the standard economic explanations, her interviews point to a myriad of cultural influences: from a dating recession to a loss of faith in the future; from the pressures of modern parenting to infertility struggles; from the atomisation of society to a deeply human instinct to copy one another that's amplified by the smartphone.

By examining the profound implications of a world in which fewer children are born, Generation Maybe argues for a future in which we respect the happily childfree while genuinely empowering those who long for children. Incisive, frank, eye-opening and humane, this book is for anyone who cares about the world we may - or may not - choose to make for the next generation.