And empower women economically. If women need large numbers of children to ensure economic stability for their families, they're typically going to have large numbers of children. Survival is paramount. Increased industrialization and better economics gives educated women the POWER to decide to have fewer children. I mean, my grandmother didn't WANT to have 8 children. But she was born at the turn of the 20th century and lived dirt poor. To her, lots of children were a means of survival. But her granddaughters and great granddaughters are limiting themselves to one, two, or (rarely) three children. Because ... why have 8 kids with all the physical trauma of that when you don't have to?