My aged advice for young Aussie blokes in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or regional towns: if you want children — plural — in this low-fertility country (TFR sitting at a dismal ~1.48 in 2024), stop treating marriage like a lottery. Treat it like the highest-stakes decision of your life.

Emil Kirkegaard's recent deep dive into US Census data nails a practical truth: some women's occupations are strongly linked to actually having kids. Top of the list? Telemarketers, maids/cleaners, and various hands-on/service roles. Bottom? Librarians, web developers, and other high-education, career-intensive gigs. This isn't just random noise, it's mostly self-selection. Women who prioritise family tend to gravitate toward (or stay in) jobs that are more compatible with motherhood. Those laser-focused on credentials and prestige often delay or forgo or forget kids.

Australia's trends mirror this. Fertility is higher in regional/remote areas, among married women, and lower among the highly educated in big cities. Low-education and certain manual/service occupations historically showed higher fertility. The pattern holds: career-first paths correlate with fewer (or later) babies.

Australia's baby recession is real. Median age for mums is now 32+, housing is insane, childcare expensive, and dual-income pressure is intense. If you want 3+ kids (the kind of number that actually stabilises things long-term), you need a partner whose life trajectory aligns with family, not just corporate ladder-climbing.

High-fertility occupation signals (US data, but relevant here):

Telemarketers, customer service, maids, agricultural/packaging workers, butchers, machine operators, often flexible, shift-based, or home-compatible. Many women in these roles already value family time or use the job to earn while raising kids.

Healthcare roles (nurses, etc.) also rank high, structured, but with shift options that can work around school hours.

Lower-prestige/manual jobs often attract or retain women who aren't maximising "girlboss" status.

Avoid signals (lower fertility):

Librarians, web developers, many professional/academic fields, high education, long hours, identity tied to career, later marriage, higher childlessness risk.

Flight attendants, high-travel roles: obvious scheduling nightmares.

This isn't about shaming careers. It's statistics meeting reality. Women in demanding, high-education fields often face real trade-offs: delayed childbearing, fertility cliffs after 30-35, and cultural pressure to "have it all" (which usually means fewer kids).

Australian Context: What Actually Works Here

Marriage itself is a huge fertility booster. Married women have kids earlier and more often than cohabiting or single.

Regional Australia often has higher birth rates than capital cities.

Jobs with flexibility (admin, bookkeeping, early childhood education, aged care, freelance, WFH customer service) help mums balance work and family — popular return-to-work options for Australian mothers.

Cultural/religious communities (more traditional family norms) buck the low-fertility trend.

Practical advice for young men:

1.Prioritise shared values over prestige: Look for women who see motherhood as a core life goal, not a checkbox after the career peak. Church, regional communities, family-oriented social circles, better odds than Tinder in the CBD.

2.Occupation as a filter, not the only one: A teacher, nurse, or admin worker who wants kids is gold. A high-flying consultant who says "maybe one day" at 32? Proceed with eyes open.

3.Be the kind of man who makes family viable: Stable job, willingness to live regionally if needed, traditional division of labour where she can step back when kids are young. Dual full-time high-pressure careers = fertility killer for most.

4.Don't wait: Biology doesn't care about your HECS debt or house deposit timeline.

Kirkegaard's data (and Australia's) shows the quiet truth: women who want big families sort themselves into lifestyles that make it possible. The ones who don't, don't. In a country where overall fertility is collapsing, your best shot at beating the trend is partnering with someone already living the values that produce kids.

Forget the "strong independent woman who doesn't need a man" script if your goal is a full house of kiddies. Seek the woman whose daily life and occupation already prove she's oriented toward family. Telemarketer, maid, nurse, or regional admin, whatever. The data doesn't lie.

Australia needs more young people making this choice deliberately. Young guys, I hope this helps.

https://www.emilkirkegaard.com/p/want-children-marry-a-telemarketer