Young Conservatives Cannot Afford to Be Neutral on Family | The American Spectator

In 1865, William Ross Wallace delivered a succinct and powerful cultural insight: “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” In contemporary American life, the startling emptiness of this cradle is forging a new battlefield for young conservatives.

In late July, the CDC reported that U.S. birth rates have fallen to just 1.6 children per woman. This is the lowest recorded fertility rate in American history, and plunges our country well below replacement birth levels. Additionally, 41 percent of first marriages are likely to result in divorce, and the average age for marriage has crept into the thirties. These troubling trends have been worsened by a social media culture that glamorizes the “double income, no kids” (DINK) lifestyle.

Our generation cannot run from this fight simply because we are too scared to challenge the atomization of our culture or the upholding of personal choice as the ultimate good. If young conservatives do not meet this moment and fight to reclaim family and marriage, all other conservative causes will crumble. 

Marriage and family are no longer neutral decisions in a society that diminishes both; they are radical acts of cultural resistance. If young conservatives truly believe in building a moral, stable, and flourishing society, then it is time for us to lead by example. This means rejecting cultural drift and instead building strong marriages and families. 

What Went Wrong?

Over time, our cultural nihilism has glorified individual expression over self-sacrifice. The sexual revolution disconnected sex from permanence, love from duty, and freedom from responsibility. The result is a culture in which marriage becomes a commodified accessory rather than a lifelong covenant. 

Approaching marriage and family as an opportunity for personal gain, financially or otherwise, will only lead us further down the path of superficial relationships, many of which result in divorce and destruction of the family structure. 

An understandable fear that often grips young adults and turns them away from marriage and family is the state of the world today. A commonly given reason for avoiding children is: “The world is so upside down, why would I want to bring a child into this?” On the contrary, we must have children and invest in future generations because the world is in such decline. 

The continued degradation of our society is a reason to join the fight resolutely. Cowering from it is the antithesis of conservatism. The state of our nation and the world broadly ought to drive us even further to instill true values in the next generation. This is the only way we can hope to regain the future. 

Taking this stand will likely result in allegations that we conservatives are seeking to create a Handmaid’s Tale-esque society in which women are forced to give birth. Ironically, it is the Left that views women as vessels for childbirth, considering the womb-for-rent practice of surrogacy that our culture has glamorized. Conservatives, on the other hand, approach men and women as equals who enter a covenantal bond that involves self-sacrifice in individual roles. 

This is an important distinction in the fight for true, lasting family structures. For young conservatives, this fight defies cynicism and confusion with rootedness, responsibility, and hope.

Why Marriage and Family Matter

Marriage is not just a private arrangement; it is a public good. Strong marriages form the backbone of functioning societies, producing stable households, responsible citizens, and a future generation equipped with values and virtue. 

Despite the insistence of modern culture, true happiness is not found in the maximization of personal freedom or licentiousness. A multitude of studies show that married couples report higher levels of satisfaction, mental health, and even physical health than their single counterparts.

The Left dominates the culture by normalizing new family forms, such as polyamory and open relationships. Coupled with promoting casual sexuality and scorning traditional domestic life as prudish or puritanical, the Left has been waging this war for years. As young conservatives, the most powerful response we can deliver is not whining about this decline, but intentionally living a better way. Taking back our culture, social, and political realm requires establishing the counterculture.

On Saturday, I joined this charge into battle by getting engaged to my wonderful now-fiancée. Am I financially wealthy? No. I do not have a house in the suburbs or a Mercedes in the driveway. I did not wait until my thirties to build the perfect lifestyle portfolio before committing to a lifelong marriage. It takes both courage and conviction for the young conservative to realize that family is not something you build after success — it is how you define success.

Our culture insists that young people delay marriage until every variable is controlled. But responsibility does not follow readiness; readiness follows responsibility. And if young conservatives want to truly change the culture, it won’t happen through comment sections. It will occur through commitments like mine: lasting, loving, and brave. I am calling on my fellow young conservatives to join me in this joyful journey forward.

We will not always be able to out-argue Hollywood or fully address the social media scum that permeates our culture. Rather, we can survive it by living out and showing a better way. If we steer the whole ethos of modern marriage away from material gain and toward something more lasting, we can expect lower divorce rates, more functional households, and a more prosperous society. Talking about this isn’t enough; it is time to act. 

Where Does the Battle Begin?

As we seek to bolster and reinvigorate a stronger culture, we must invest in the churches, schools, and institutions that uphold the goodness of marriage and family. It is imperative that we build community with others who share these values. 

Celebrate each other’s engagements, weddings, and babies as triumphant victories. Understand that our striving cannot be relegated to politics alone. A new generation of families, visibly joyful and stable, can speak louder than any policy debate. 

My admonition for my fellow young conservatives is this: Do not be embarrassed by wanting to be married young, your want for children, or the desire for a life shared with someone. Choosing commitment in your twenties is not giving something up. It’s gaining everything.

Our culture celebrates everything from polyamory and artificial reproduction to glamorized childless influencers. Conservatives need to be just as bold in celebrating something deeper, older, and eternally more beautiful. 

Marriage and family are the foundation of our country, and if the next generation will not fight for it, conservatism will soon become a worthless husk of an ideology. For decades, the Left has proudly and boldly promoted its vision. Now is the time for young conservatives to stop whispering and start witnessing.

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