Melissa Kearney
Department of Economics
Gilbert F. Schaefer Professor of Economics
- Domestic policy issues
- Social policy and government programs
- Poverty
- Inequality, employment and schooling
- Gambling, saving and individual decision
- Economics of the family
- Family, fertility and children
Video
Kearney in the News
CNBC
No evidence of productivity boom or large labor disruption from AI: Notre Dame’s Melissa Kearney
Video
August 05, 2026
Melissa Kearney, Aspen Economic Strategy Group director and University of Notre Dame professor of economics, joins ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss AI’s impact on the current labor market and more.
MSN
Elon Musk says 'birth rates drop as countries get wealthier' — the economy isn't why US birth rates decline, 'poorer' countries have more kids
July 06, 2026
Melissa Kearney, an economist at the University of Notre Dame, told NPR that if the U.S. experiences both low fertility and lower immigration, the country "will have to take meaningful steps to invest in all the things that will make us more productive with fewer working-age people."
Financial Times
Why birth rates are falling everywhere all at once
June 23, 2026
Melissa Kearney, professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame, says it is “quite plausible that the modern digital media environment has had profound effects on society that have led to a decline in romantic coupling”.
Cyprus Mail
Is demographic collapse a good idea?
June 09, 2026
It is “quite plausible that the modern digital media environment has had profound effects on society that have led to a decline in romantic coupling,” said Melissa Kearney, professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame.
Financial Times
How will falling fertility rates hurt the economy? With Melissa Kearney
Audio
May 15, 2026
Soumaya Keynes speaks to Melissa Kearney, a professor at the University of Notre Dame and the director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, which recently put out a series on the topic: Demographic Headwinds: The Economic Consequences of Lower Birth Rates and Longer Lives. They discuss why the fertility rate won’t reverse course any time soon — and what happens when the rest of the baby boomers retire.
NPR
U.S. fertility rate hits historic low as women delay pregnancy and have fewer children
Audio
April 30, 2026
The fertility rate in the United States has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded...I spoke with Melissa Kearney, an economist at the University of Notre Dame. She says these two trends combined - fewer U.S. babies and fewer migrants - these are game-changers.
CNN
The Lead with Jake Tapper: U.S. Fertility Rate Drops to Another Record Low in 2025
Video
April 27, 2026
In our national lead, Americans are having fewer children. That's according to recent CDC data. Last year's U.S. fertility rate dropped to a record low of about 3.6 million births in 2025, compared to the peak 4.3 million in 2007, a difference of about 700,000 fewer children. Joining the panel now is Melissa Kearney, the director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group and economics professor at the University of Notre Dame.
CNN
As Americans are changing priorities, the birthrate is lower than ever
Video
April 27, 2026
Melissa Kearney, the Director of Aspen Economic Strategy Group and an Economics Professor at University of Notre Dame, joins Smerconish to discuss the driving factors behind America's baby bust.
The New York Times
The Birthrate Is Plunging. Why Some Say That’s a Good Thing.
March 02, 2026
Drops among Hispanic, white and Black teenagers accounted for 37 percent of the national birthrate decline between 2007, when the rate started to go down, and 2019, according to calculations by Melissa Kearney, an economist at the University of Notre Dame, and her colleagues.
Researchers have pointed to several possible explanations. The decline coincided with the introduction of the smartphone, which rapidly became a tool for both social connection and isolation, even a substitute for sex, said Kasey Buckles, an economist at Notre Dame.
NPR
Heritage Foundation says declining marriage rates pose a threat to society
January 23, 2026
The authors do cite some work, particularly work from economist Melissa Kearney, that children who grow up in stable two-parent families, especially married biological parents, do show better average outcomes. But what Kearney's work also emphasizes is that what she calls a two-parent advantage is strongly tied to resources and stability.
National Affairs
Social Capital and Opportunity
January 08, 2026
Economists Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine have sought to explain the powerful influence of mentoring by distinguishing between role models and mentors.
Chattanooga Times Free Press
First Things First: The health of family is about more than structure
December 08, 2025
Decades of research show on average children in stable two-parent homes tend to do a little better across a range of outcomes, and economist Melissa Kearney has shown how two adults pooling income, time and "emotional bandwidth" can give kids a real economic and relational advantage.
WVPE
Notre Dame launches research initiative focused on strengthening American families
December 03, 2025
The University of Notre Dame has launched an interdisciplinary research initiative aimed at understanding how family structure affects children’s outcomes and what policies might help strengthen families across the United States. The Strengthening Families Research Initiative is led by economist Melissa Kearney, who joined Notre Dame this fall.
Maiden Mother Matriarch Podcast
High Income, Low Fertility - Melissa Kearney | Maiden Mother Matriarch Episode 172
Audio
December 01, 2025
My guest today is Melissa Kearney, Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame and author of ‘The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind.’ We spoke about the experience of raising children in a low fertility society, why feminists should care about pronatalism, the cause of the massive recent decline in teen birth rates, and why young women deserve to be given better information about their fertility options.
NPR
How women over 30 are rewriting the single mom narrative in America
December 01, 2025
Economist Melissa Kearney's book The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind got a lot of attention from proponents of marriage when it was released two years ago. It argued that two married people together bring in more income and have more time to devote to their children. "These resource advantages then set children up with more opportunities to get ahead in life," Kearney wrote in her book.
It Turns Out Podcast
How marriage became a luxury good
Audio
November 13, 2025
Why do affluent suburbs in Boston and Houston vote completely differently, yet share one surprising thing in common? Economist Melissa Kearney, author of The Two Parent Privilege (University of Chicago Press), reveals that one of America's most consequential divides isn't about red states versus blue states. It's about whether you're raising kids with a partner, and the economic advantages are stark and surprising. Melissa Kearney is a professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame and director of The Aspen Economic Strategy Group.
NPR
Graduate, get a job, get married, have kids. Is that the secret to success?
Audio
November 07, 2025
Research by Brookings in 2013 argued that teens who are poor can join the middle class if they follow those steps. Now, a lawmaker in Ohio is proposing the “Success Sequence” as a requirement for high school graduation. On Cincinnati Edition, we ask supporters and opponents of the “Success Sequence.” Guests include Melissa Kearney, professor of economics, University of Notre Dame, author of The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind.
The Dispatch (subscription only)
OPINION | Cash Alone Won’t End Poverty
November 04, 2025
By Melissa S. Kearney, the Gilbert F. Schaefer Professor of Economics at Notre Dame and Director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, and James X. Sullivan, a Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame and Co-Founder and Director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO).
The Wall Street Journal
Why Marriage Is Increasingly for the Affluent
October 29, 2025
Marriage among the children of high earners and those who become high earners serves to consolidate wealth, and further widens the income gap, said Melissa Kearney, a family economist at the University of Notre Dame.
Business Insider
Americans are getting more worried about the tanking birth rate
October 29, 2025
Melissa Kearney, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame, told NPR that "it's not that people don't like kids as much as they used to," but there are more options people can consider.
How to Money Podcast
The Demographic Dilemma and Your Dollars with Melissa Kearney – Episode 1046
Audio
October 29, 2025
To help answer this question, we’re joined by Melissa Kearney who is an economist known for her extensive research on social policy, poverty, inequality, and the economics of families and fertility. Melissa is author of the book, The Two-Parent Privilege, and she’s a professor of economics at Notre Dame.
WBUR (NPR Boston Affiliate)
How '16 and Pregnant' contributed to dropping teenage birth rates
Audio
October 29, 2025
Economists Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine studied why teenage birth rates dropped in America. They found that MTV’s reality show “16 and Pregnant," on the air from 2009 to 2014, led to more online search activity regarding birth control and abortion, and ultimately led to a 5.7% reduction in teen births in the 18 months following its introduction.
NPR
People are having fewer kids. Their choice is transforming the world's economy.
Audio
October 27, 2025
"This demographic issue is poised to potentially remake so much of our society," said Melissa Kearney, an economist at the University of Notre Dame.
C-SPAN
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan on Advancing U.S. Economic Prosperity
Video
August 14, 2025
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Obama administration Council of Economic Advisers chair Jason Furman talked about what policymakers and business leaders should do to strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness and national interests. "I do want to acknowledge that I couldn't help but follow Speaker Ryan. I'm now at the University of Notre Dame," said Melissa Kearney, Aspen Economic Strategy Group director and economics professor at the University of Notre Dame (and panel moderator).
Newsweek
Scientists Explain Birth Rate Decline in Rich Countries
July 24, 2025
But authors Melissa Schettini Kearney, an economist from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and Levine argue that decline in fertility is "less a reflection of specific economic costs or policies, but rather, a widespread re-prioritization of the role of parenthood in people's adult lives."
NPR
As women have far fewer babies, the U.S. and the world face unprecedented challenges
July 07, 2025
"It's not that people don't like kids as much as they used to," said Melissa Kearney, an economist who studies fertility and population trends at the University of Notre Dame. "There's just a lot of other available options. They can invest in their careers, take more leisure time — it's much more socially acceptable."