Capitalism doesn't explain the family crisis

Capitalism and loneliness: religion matches people better than the market

The viral video shows a young man of humble appearance with an attractive, smiling vvife. According to the story accompanying it, the scene would be unthinkable in the West: capitalism would have condemned that man to loneliness, while religion has given him a family. The economic debate it opens up is more interesting than the gossip: what role do religious values play in couple formation and birth rates?

The debate: capitalism vs. religion

Some argue that secularization and individualism have destroyed the traditional marriage market. In Spain, the argument goes, until three decades ago marriages were stable and society was "healthy"; over the last 25 years, the birth rate has collapsed and young families are the exception. Religion, by contrast, offers a framework of commitment that capitalism cannot buy.

But the rebuttal is forceful: capitalism has existed for two centuries and is not to blame for the decline. The most religious countries also take part in the same economic system. The problem would not be the market, but the loss of shared values. And there the debate stalls: nobody offers a solution that doesn't involve imposing a sarracena.

The Spanish paradox

The criticism of capitalism as a scapegoat is easy to refute: the most religious societies also live in market economies. The difference lies not in the system, but in the social norms that regulate individual behavior. While capitalism rewards immediate consumption, religion rewards restraint and long-term commitment. That is the real tension.

Meanwhile, the video is still there, with its happy couple, and the question remains open: is religion a refuge from loneliness, or just another product in the relationship market? The answer, as with almost everything in economics, depends on whom you ask.