Europe’s Childless Leaders

Over the holidays a friend asked what I made of this and frankly I'm not sure. There are many reasons a person won't have children, ranging from the biological to economic to lifestyle. What is surprising about the piece below is how many European leaders are childless. This may be an historic first.

From the Washington Examiner, May 14, 2017:

Emmanuel Macron and the barren elite of a changing continent

Emmanuel Macron founded a new party, and his election as France's president is said to herald the "revival of Europe." Interestingly, Macron has no children.

This is not that notable in itself. After all, George Washington had no biological children. But across the continent Macron wants to bind closer together, there's a stark pattern:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also has no children. British prime minister Theresa May has no children. Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni has no children. Holland's Mark Rutte has no children. Sweden's Stefan Löfven has no biological children. Luxembourg's Xavier Bettel has no children. Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon has no children. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, has no children.

This is too remarkable to ignore. While Macron is young—39 years old—the rest of Europe is being governed by childless Baby Boomers....