The $5,000 Baby Bonus

How the Government’s Push for More Children Ignores the Real Needs of Women and Families

The White House has recently come out with proposed solutions to persuade women to have more children in an effort to combat the declining birth rate. This is not surprising. This is an administration that has been shouting from the rooftops that they want more babies. They want women to be little baby factories, cranking out children to solve a demographic issue. But the proposed solutions—like offering a $5,000 baby bonus—are nothing more than a superficial attempt to appear as if they’re helping. In reality, these proposals are a glaring example of how out of touch the government is with the lived experiences of women. It’s not that they don’t know the real issues women face—it’s that they simply don’t care.

One of their proposals is offering a $5,000 baby bonus to encourage women to have more children. But let’s be clear: $5,000 barely scratches the surface of what it costs to raise a child. It won’t even cover two months of daycare, let alone the astronomical costs of healthcare, housing, and everything else women need to raise a family today. This token gesture is not a real solution; it's a shallow attempt to appear like they’re doing something while avoiding the hard work of creating meaningful, systemic change.

What’s even more maddening is one of their proposals is to fund programs that educate women on how to conceive, under the misguided belief that women simply need a better understanding of their menstrual cycles. Let’s be clear: the reason women aren't having more children, the reason the birth rate is declining, is not because we don’t understand how our bodies work. We understand our menstrual cycles better than ever before. Women are in full control of their reproductive choices now, and that control terrifies the government. They can’t control women’s bodies, so they want to control our decisions. They are coming after birth control, after abortion rights, and they continue to undermine the policies that make it possible for women to thrive in the workforce while also being mothers.

Instead of addressing the real issues that women have been screaming about for years—things like paid leave, affordable childcare, and healthcare—they continue to focus on policies that don’t actually make a difference. They don’t want to provide affordable childcare or paid leave because their goal isn’t to help women succeed—it’s to control them. They don’t care about giving women the tools they need to raise families without putting their health and financial stability at risk. They want to make it harder for women to succeed in both the workforce and in motherhood because that’s the real point of all of this: they don’t want women to have agency. They want us to be stuck, reliant on a broken system where we can’t thrive or make decisions about our own futures.

These proposals are part of a larger media effort disguised as solutions, similar to the dangerous narratives being pushed by the "tradwife" movement or anti-birth control wellness articles. These efforts attempt to present a “one-size-fits-all” answer, ignoring the deeper systemic issues that women face. The glorification of being a stay-at-home mom or the suggestion that a $5,000 baby bonus will solve our problems are just simple distractions, overlooking the complexities of balancing motherhood, work, and personal well-being. This narrative fails to recognize that women are not simply choosing between staying home or working—they are making incredibly difficult decisions based on a broken system that offers little in the way of real support.

The truth is, women are struggling. We are juggling multiple roles, managing the mental and emotional labor of our homes, and trying to make ends meet, all while facing increasing barriers in the workplace and society. We are looking for solutions—real, tangible solutions that provide us with the support and autonomy we need to thrive. But instead, we are met with media campaigns and proposals like these that attempt to convince us that the answer is as simple as becoming a stay-at-home mom or accepting a one-time payment. These proposals aren’t solutions—they’re distractions from the systemic changes that are truly needed. The reality is that these “simple solutions” won’t fix the deeper issues at play. Women are being asked to settle for crumbs, while the real solutions to childcare, paid leave, and gender equity remain unaddressed.

Every time we get pregnant, we risk our lives. Every time we bring a child into the world, we are burdened financially and emotionally. The mental load and domestic labor fall solely on us. Our physical, emotional, and mental health suffer in the absence of adequate support. And the government knows this. They just don’t care.

This proposal, this $5,000 baby bonus, is wild because it assumes women can be persuaded into having more children. But it’s not about persuasion—it’s about control. The government doesn’t want women to be empowered to make their own decisions. They want to take away our rights, our autonomy, and our choices until we’re left with no option but to follow their outdated expectations.

What’s becoming increasingly clear is that the government’s ultimate goal isn’t to help women become mothers or to create strong families. No, the real goal is to control women and our bodies. They want us to be married mothers, fit into their vision of the perfect American family, and churn out children they can claim as “resources”—without offering the support needed to raise them.

This moment is a watershed for women. We finally have control over our finances, our bodies, and our lives. And that terrifies them. Most women don’t want to have six children. Women don’t want to be bound by restrictive societal roles that diminish their autonomy. Women don’t want to be financially shackled to an unsupportive system that doesn't care about their health, safety, or happiness.

These proposal are not rooted in any genuine desire to help women—it’s about control. If they truly cared about helping women and families, they would address the systemic issues that prevent women from thriving. But instead, they offer a $5,000 baby bonus and suggest that we need more education on our menstrual cycles. It's a farce. Women aren't asking for handouts. We’re asking for autonomy, support, and a system that values us—not controls us.