The triumph of modern feminism has put society on the path to demographic collapse.

The U.S. fertility rate dropped to a new low last year, according to recently released CDC data. An earlier report put the country’s total fertility rate at around 1.6 births per woman. A country’s population will remain stable if the total fertility rate is 2.1 births per woman.

Zoom out and you’ll find that a decline in birth rates is a global problem. South Korea currently has 51.7 million people. With its low birth rate, the population is projected to drop to under 25 million by the end of the century.

Think about this. In the Avengers movies, Thanos is a supervillain whose great evil deed is snapping away half the universe’s population. South Korea is doing that to itself — by choice. And the consequences will be severe.

Countries need young men to serve in the military. Many of tomorrow’s greatest inventors and innovators won’t be born. As the population ages, there will be fewer working-age adults to care for the elderly and fund Ponzi scheme-esque entitlement programs. On a personal level, more people will live isolated lives and die alone. An AI companion will never replace grandchildren.

Taken to its logical conclusion, a civilization that doesn’t reproduce will shrivel up and disappear.

Here’s the paradox. Pregnancy is a personal matter with significant public implications.

Some may argue that nothing should be done because the decline in birth rates stems from individual decisions. But that’s short-sighted. We should care about preserving our own civilization. Look around the world. The freedom we enjoy is the exception rather than the rule throughout human history. It’s selfish to ignore this long-term threat to future generations, even if immigration can paper over it for a time.

Like most issues, the government throwing money at this problem won’t fix it. Around the world, many countries have tried to make it more financially feasible to have children. They’ve offered baby bonuses, paid family leave and subsidized child care. It hasn’t worked.

What’s needed is a change in society’s values. Modern feminism doesn’t view motherhood as something to celebrate but as the cause of female oppression. It tells women to seek meaning by climbing the corporate ladder.

“I’m reppin’ for the girls who takin’ over the world,” Beyonce sings — if you can call it that — in her 2011 song “Run the World (Girls).” “Help me raise a glass for the college grads.”

Both in the song and in the lives of many young women, being a mother takes a backseat to business. Society applauds women for becoming executives, not moms with kids. Reports on the mythical gender pay gap describe motherhood with the word “penalty.”

The long-term consequences of ideas provide valuable insights into their validity. In this case, modern feminism has left many women lonely and depressed. It has put the globe into a demographic downward spiral that’s going to be hard to reverse.

But it’s worth trying. To begin, our civilization must give mothers greater prestige. Being a mom should bestow high social status. This must come from many societal institutions and not just the government.

High schools should teach students that married parents are the happiest adults. Highlight stories of married couples who had kids in their early 20s and didn’t wait for their finances to be perfect. Society should encourage husbands to share parental responsibilities with their wives. You can play a part by complimenting moms you see, especially those with several children.

We can’t pay a soldier enough to sacrifice his life for our country. But we honor him.

We can’t pay women enough to get married and have more children. But we should lavish honor on those who do.

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