The real reason for falling birth rates
Stephen J. Shaw for The Spectator
"There is a common misperception that most childless people never wanted children in the first place or have a medical condition that prevents them from becoming parents", writes Stephen J. Shaw for The Spectator. An increase of childlessness "during times of major economic crises" also suggests that a wider trend is not explained by more people choosing to become childless, but "by people feeling economically vulnerable and deferring parenthood". For many, "that has meant never becoming a parent".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Mired in trivia, British political discourse is utterly unfit for times of war
Rafael Behr for The Guardian
"I need no persuasion that 'terrorists' is a correct label for Hamas," writes Rafael Behr in The Guardian. "Nor do I need to hear from any more politicians or commentators who think the BBC calling them 'militants' is a national disgrace." There is debate to be had "on editorial language and moral equivalence, but on the periphery of the bigger story, not the front page", he continues. "Swathes of what passes for debate about the Middle East has the character of displacement activity. It is the spectacle of people, left and right, grasping for agency."
Cracking the Lock
The Times editorial board
It is "increasingly clear" that the triple lock pension mechanism is "ultimately unsustainable", said The Times in today's editorial. "Under the existing formula, pensioners' incomes have risen faster than average wages and they seem likely to continue to do so," said the paper. "While that is good news for the older generation", it is "arguably fast becoming an unfair burden on younger people struggling with spiralling bills".
Handwriting will soon be the preserve of a sophisticated few
Jemima Lewis for The Telegraph
Handwriting is the latest "ancient skill" at risk of being "made defunct by computers", says Jemima Lewis in The Telegraph. "I am writing this on my laptop; you are reading it in print, perhaps on a screen. When was the last time you wrote anything longer than a shopping list by hand?" she asks. Even texting is "starting to look old hat", with her children preferring to "send voice messages".
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purgeCartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Codeword: August 23, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'It's our financialized economy in miniature'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank planSpeed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
'That message may seem unimpeachable'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'Enforcement of rulings remains spotty at best'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'This is exactly what technology should be doing'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Jonathan Powell: who is the man behind Keir Starmer's foreign policy?Today's Big Question Prime minister's national security adviser is a 'world-class operator'
-
It is 'beyond time for us to seek bipartisan solutions' for AfghanistanInstant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
