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It’s not often that an economist makes the social media rounds and group chats with BFFs, but this week, renowned Harvard economist Claudia Goldin managed to do just that. Goldin recently published a new working paper on the declining fertility rate here and abroad, and within the paper is a quote you might have seen on your own Instagram feeds: “The more that men can credibly signal they will be dependable ‘dads’ and not disappointing ‘duds,’ …the higher will be the birthrate in the face of greater female agency.” In other words: if husbands can be equal partners in the raising of children, women will be more inclined to build families.

To zoom out a bit, much of what we understand about the history of women's participation in the U.S. labor economy, the evolution of gender roles and the factors contributing to the lasting gender pay gap stems from Goldin’s work. When she speaks out about women’s economic progress, it’s therefore worth paying attention. And so, it’s also worth paying attention to research that plainly states: “The real obstacle [in fertility rates] is the need for husbands and fathers to demonstrate their commitment [to child-rearing] in advance.”

As you may remember from past ForbesWomen coverage, men no longer outnumber women in the workforce and the number of female breadwinners is growing. (Based on some reporting from our friends at New York magazine this week, these........

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