Response to Should we care that smart women aren't having kids?

Posted on Should we care that smart women aren't having kids?

How is this a conundrum? Our idea of intelligence (high level problem solving) is disconnected from reproductive instinct; it would be more peculiar if they were connected. Children cost a huge amount of resources and temporarily decrease happiness, it's no surprise that women who are better at long term decision making are more likely to be uncomfortable at the idea. Furthermore, if someone is intelligent it is likely that they find computationally difficult tasks (like research or demanding jobs) more rewarding. Perhaps then, it is more likely that this urge will trump that of reproduction.

We have a tendency to anthropomorphise the evolutionary process and animal urges, simply put in this case, it is not always evolutionarily advantageous to be more intelligent. Intelligence might make you better at surviving but less likely to reproduce. We conflate survival of an individual to survival of the group, when the two can be disconnected.

I do agree entirely with you conclusion: as a society, if we want a more intelligent population, then we must provide support for intelligent and reluctant mothers. That's even ignoring the ethical side of it, where most would agree that women should be given greater freedom to have children and follow a career they enjoy.