@moffintosh @LukeAlmighty @charliebrownau Was going to ask about inverse relationship between rich populations and birthrate, but it seems like you are right per capita:
ifstudies.org/blog/how-income-affects-fertilityHowever, there still is the issue where richer Western and Western-influenced (Japan, Korea, China) countries do experience abysmal fertility rates compared to less rich Latin, African, and Eastern countries. I have to indirectly agree with LukeAlmighty in the sense that the West instilling a certain anti-natal and natal-resistant ideology through means like education kills fertility.
Any striving for absolute sexual equality, rather than for a complementarian or patriarchal approaches, kills fertility quickly, even when governments provide for family benefits compared to Western countries that do not:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4387654/npg.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ControllingPopulationInAStrongEconomy-IsFeminismTheAnswer-FP2019.pdfifstudies.org/blog/feminism-as-the-new-natalism-can-progressive-policies-halt-falling-fertilityAnd you cannot fake traditionalism either, compare self-professing conservative Protestants to those that actually act consistently with the commands of Scriptures ("Biblical literalism" and active church participation) and thus the Bible's patriarchal worldviews:
sci-hubtw.hkvisa.net/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.12.013Note that Perry and Scleifer, page 9, admit that another study has better definition of "conservative Protestant" compared to others and their own for this reason.
Also note that Perry and Scleifer do not discuss the rise of feminist and feminism-improving (anything that aids the increase of feminism but are not by themselves essential to feminist) beliefs and actions within American conservative Protestant circles. They only mention a shallow "mingling of Evangelicals with mainstream culture", which is not an acceptable analysis in any setting.
Also note that a recent study showed that many so-called or self-professing conservative Protestants do not even posses consistent beliefs with the definition of "conservative Protestants" absolving them the right to be called such. This study was conducting after Perry's and Scleifer's, so they would not have benefited form this.
thestateoftheology.com/