Episode #120. Navigating Unplanned Childlessness with Stephen Shaw documentary. Birthgap, the population collapse out of view.

Navigating Unplanned Childlessness. Birthgap, the population collapse out of view.

For many people, the idea of having children is deeply ingrained in their life plans. From a young age, we are taught to aspire to find a partner, settle down, and start a family. But for some, life has a different plan. Stephen Shaw joins us  to discuss unexpected findings that there is a 30 per cent increase in people becoming childless without meaning to.

Most think people choose to be childless, it is certainly the case for some and medical issues for others, however, unexpected childlessness affects 80% of people that find themselves in this situation and it leads to difficult and painful realities. This number has escalated in recent decades and is one of the reasons that birth rates are falling across the industrialised World in the documentary film called Birth gap, childless world. It was featured in The New York Chelsea Film Festival and we are going to be talking all about that.

Stephen J Shaw is the creator of the term "Birthgap," which is also the title of his new documentary. Through this work, Shaw explores the complex and largely unnoticed causes behind what he believes to be the most critical issue facing the Western world in the coming decades. Specifically, the documentary delves into the potential consequences of a declining birth rate coupled with an increasing number of elderly citizens living longer. In the worst-case scenario, this could lead to a total collapse of society.

Shaw is a British citizen who has lived and studied on three different continents. He began his career as a computer engineer and data scientist but later turned his attention to filmmaking, producing his first film project, "Birthgap," at the age of 49. He is also the president and co-founder of Autometrics Analytics LLC, a data analytics company. Shaw holds an MBA from ISG in Paris, France, and is currently pursuing further studies at Harvard Extension School.

So, how can you navigate a childless life? We explore this on an important and shocking episode of the Thriving Minds podcast. If you find yourself navigating a childless life, know that you are not alone. According to Stephen Shaw, the reasons for childlessness vary, and the emotional toll can be similar.

Here are some tips to help you cope with and change the future so it is not unexpected: become aware of the fertility window and its impact on delayed childbearing. Many individuals and couples are choosing to delay having children until later in life. While this can be a conscious choice, it can also lead to unintended childlessness because fertility declines with age.

Learn more here: https://www.birthgap.org/feed
Watch the documentary here:
https://www.birthgap.org/spaces/10215679/page

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