Catherine Ruth Pakaluk
@CRPakaluk
Econ Prof @CatholicUniv | Author, speaker, sourdough baker | BOOK "Hannah's Children: Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth" | Judith Butler palate cleanse
Research that launched the global phenomenon #postcardsformacron is finally coming out as a book. Release date March 19, 2024. Cover below. Thanks to @Regnery for bringing these incredible stories to the public conversation about falling birthrates. a.co/d/1btpRlJ

If the weather holds I’ll hike this glorious peak tomorrow. Mount Washington via Tuckerman Ravine and Lion Head Trail on AllTrails alltrails.com/trail/us/new-h…
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, like the exhilaration of wrapping up a difficult piece of writing—at a time when thought you couldn’t—in a place that magnifies the glory of God so well as this place. How thankful I am! “There and Back Again: The Case for N=1 (in…
To believe that the real story is the tax code, China shock, immigration or middle-class wages—is nonsensical. The richest and freest people in the world can obviously afford to have kids. @CRPakaluk wsj.com/opinion/what-t… via @WSJopinion
Excellent letter by the brilliant @CRPakaluk wsj.com/opinion/what-t… via @WSJopinion
It was once common for women to respond to fertility preference surveys with non-numeric answers, such as "up to God." Such answers are very rare in recent years. As @CRPakaluk writes in @WSJ, a shift in priorities explains the birth dearth, not cost. wsj.com/opinion/what-t…
If we’re going to have a CTC we should have a robust conversation about its rationale. Raising the birth rate isn’t one of them.
"Our grandparents and great-grandparents had more kids with less money. The problem is our values." A great letter from @CRPakaluk via @WSJopinion wsj.com/opinion/what-t…
Last time I visited Austin I had the absurd privilege of chatting with @DadSavesAmerica.
I sat down with Catholic social scientist and author Catherine Pakaluk to explore why some highly educated women are still choosing to have large families. A mother of 14 children herself, Catherine made “#postcardsforMacron” go viral after the French president made dismissive…
Thanks for the shot out @naomieppsbest! I’m overjoyed that Hannah’s Children continues to inspire and encourage. I had similar experiences in grad school—including one memorable reaction to my third pregnancy: “do you really think that’s healthy for you?!” That child, my son…
A couple years ago, a classmate in my Marriage and Family Therapy program looked down at my six-month pregnant belly and said, “Oh… did you mean to get pregnant in grad school?” It wasn’t exactly congratulatory, and it didn’t bother me much. After all, I did indeed "mean to."…
If you read my book, this is the baby from the “stranger on a train” anecdote. He was younger in that story. No baby was ever cuter than this baby. At least, not that I remember. Now’s he’s 6’4” 200 lbs and an absolute rock of a son who asks me : “what are your wishes, oh…

Brava @herandrews your writing will be eagerly awaited—and your example of children-first speaks volumes. May God bless your work.
Some personal news: I have loved working at @commonplc but, with three kids under 5, I’m entering the “lean out” phase of my work/life balance. I’m leaving soon to write full time to give my family the flexibility it needs. That means there's an opening on the best team in DC.
Remember these two again? Now is as good a time as any to say how joyful we are that number three son and his wife are expecting baby number 2 in December! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! We can’t wait to meet her!!
Remember these two? Number three son and his wife moved into a home of their own today!! Four bedrooms, 2.5 baths. New construction in a suburb of Raleigh. They’re 21 years old. Sweet baby girl. How did they do it? God’s grace above all. A great job for him. Part time work for…
Yes—and just wait, @MichaelPakaluk newly translated and wrote a whole (small) book on it. Coming soon!!
What a beautiful prayer by Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Friends in London asked me to help circulate this call for applicants to attend “Meet your Match” on July 5. If you’re single and can get to London by Saturday, scan the QR code, and fill out the Google form. Everyone everywhere is lamenting the decline of institutions to…

I just finished this book. It was fantastic. So thought provoking and in a weird way...very encouraging.
Research that launched the global phenomenon #postcardsformacron is finally coming out as a book. Release date March 19, 2024. Cover below. Thanks to @Regnery for bringing these incredible stories to the public conversation about falling birthrates. a.co/d/1btpRlJ
I am increasingly convinced that as Christian history began with the rejection of the God-man, it will end with the rejection of the God-infant.

Sorry. I only just remembered this. It came out about a week ago. I think you’ll find it especially interesting. And read the book, if you haven’t. God bless you. thevitalcenter.com/spring-2025/on…
Forgot to post this short clip from Lizzie’s junior recital. She studies piano with Nikita Fitenko @CatholicUniv. He says she might be a great musician if she’d practice once in a while. Let me tell you, when she does practice I resent ever having to leave the house.
Tonight. Full moon. Warsaw, Poland. Old Town. Daughter of the century. Listen, ya’ll I hit the jackpot with her. Eliza flew up from Rome to spend two blessed days with me. We saw what we could while dodging my work commitments. Warsaw Rising Museum. St. Faustina’s convent in…