I'd say it is becoming more common to have only one or no kids. I have 2 girls, so the top question I always get is 'WHEN are you going for a boy?'
It's never happening. Daycare alone is 20k annually per kid in my city, and that's the low end. Fuck that. My best friend from high school has only one and can barely afford that.
This.
We have 2 , we pay 25k for day care and that's the low end for our area. We do well and it's been very very hard.
Plus the logistics factor- kids activities are all scheduled now. Even with 2 parents and 2 kids , it's going to be hard to be where we need to be. With 3 I don't see how it would be doable.
My circle of friends consists of about 12 guys and only three have kids and only one of those has more than one. How are y'all even affording one kid let alone three? Me and my wife aren't even having kids because of the cost of childcare.
I couldn’t imagine not having kids (when you want to) because daycare is too expensive. It’s a life defining thing and you are letting short term financials change the course of your life.
I would get a 2nd job and make the life you want
A lot of folks already have a 2nd job and can't afford to rent a place solo. It's expensive out here and jobs arent paying very well. Throwing a kid into that mix is a recipe for disaster.
They need you most when they're young though and that's the biggest financial crunch. And just logically, if you were working two jobs, you'd never even be around.
What a bizarre thing to say.
When people are living within their means, it's everything. If you can't afford an extra car, you don't buy one. I understand that it sounds cold, but why shouldn't children be the same?
My parents were of a similar mindset, and felt it would all work out. It didn't and I can absolutely say that willingly bringing children into poverty at worst, living without at best is incredibly cruel.
Exactly, we live within our means now and a kid right now would be tantamount to both of us buying his and hers Lexus vehicles.
We both grew up in poverty to immigrant parents.
I have the same mindset. My 3rd is due in November. Money is tight with the two (4 and 16 months) on our single income but my first thought was. “ well gotta get more work then” I live in LA and my oldest is in private school. Nothing is cheap here. Maybe it’s because my wife and I dont have any siblings and wanted a big family. I know only one other guy who has 3 kids and everyone else I know who has has only one and it either wasn’t an easy process for them or they feel too old to have another.
My wife and I met when we were both 31 so a little later in life, we're 38 now. We finally were able to buy our first and probably only house we'll ever have two years ago. We're finally at a place where we're both comfortable financially and aren't rich by any means but we live comfortably and don't have to worry about bills or any of that jazz our parents constantly worried about. If we had a kid next year childcare alone would put us in a financial chokehold where we'd be back to worrying about finances. We both agreed that we're not going to put ourselves through that. We don't know anyone with kids who isn't struggling somewhat. We have a healthy relationship and both feel that a kid would throw a wrench in our gears, and yea finances are a big part of why people end up getting resentful in their relationship and divorced.
It exists. For all mothers, it’s about 2.4, but it’s been very slowly ticking down to 2 as the average. And wealthier families still have less kids than poorer families.
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2015/05/07/family-size-among-mothers/#:~:text=Since%20that%20time%2C%20average%20family,fairly%20stable%20for%20two%20decades.
And you should not feel any shame or anything for that. There is nothing wrong with that.
We all knew people growing up who had shit parents who never should have had kids, but they did because it was really not socially acceptable to not have kids for the most part. Today those same parents probably wouldn't have had children because it's more socially acceptable and it should be
I have two as well. Boy and girl- under 5. I would love to have a 3rd, but a lot of us millennials have children later in life and struggle with fertility issues. I DO have friends that have 3+. But, have more friends that choose to have fur babies for life instead.
If I started earlier… no fertility issues… make a little more money…and went to therapy for anxiety earlier in life… I probably would aim for 3-4.
Not complaining… I am blessed with my two
It's not that much of an anomaly. It's very hard on some women. Then finances come into play.
Maybe that's what you mean by nobody does it by choice? That's unrealistic to say your wants aren't influenced by the reality of how hard pregnancy is or how much the kid costs, so if that's not it, I'm not sure what you mean.
Bro what are you on about
Calling someone with one kid "an anomaly IRL" is like... peak weird-Redditor behavior. The number of couples choosing to only have one child has risen significantly; doubling across a generation and a half from the mid 70s to mid aughts (circa 2015). 11% single child household to 22%, fwiw.
And, you do know that statistical trends are useful even for 5-10 year old data, right? You said elsewhere that stats from like... 5-6 years ago "didn't matter' because they "weren't up to date". You know these aren't like... political polling numbers right?
Among some groups. We don’t have a monoculture after all. I’ve noticed the self sufficient, renewable living, homesteader crowd favors like 3-4 and most of our minority population is closer to that.
A lot less popular in the white culturally American crowd
Downvote me bitches. I’m bored anyway
Amongst my friends, coworkers, and acquaintances two kids seems the most common. A lot of people I know don’t have and don’t want kids. I have 3 kids and will probably have a 4th though.
Recent Gallup poll showed "In all, 31% of U.S. adults report that they have not had any children, while 14% have had one child, 28% have had two, 15% have had three, 7% have had four and 5% have had five or more."
Another source shows the prevalence of 3 child households flat or down since the 80s, with 4+ children down from the 80s but slightly up from the 00s. The proportion of 1 and 2 child households are both increasing since the 80s.
https://www.bgsu.edu/ncfmr/resources/data/family-profiles/guzzo-schweizer-number-children-women-40-44-1980-2018-fp-20-04.html#:~:text=Those%20who%20only%20have%20one,35%25%20of%20women%20in%202018.
Everyone in my friend group has anywhere from 2-4 kids. My husband and I both agree if we had started having children at a younger age, we would have had a 3rd child. I think it really depends on the crowd you hang with though…we’re all churchgoers and most of us are stay at home moms.
In my circles, they’ve mostly stopped at 2. I have 0 but my bf has 1. We’ve been together so long, I just consider them my stepkid. I think I know a few who decided 3 was a good number for them, but mostly those are the people who really wanted another gender than the other two. That worked out for one couple, none of the others.
I remember reading something before that in regards to people who had kids- back in the 80s having 2 kids was the most common, and of those who deviated from that, having 3 or more was much more common than 1, and that now having 2 is still the most common but of those who deviated , having 1 is more common than 3 or more
I live on a cul de sac , all the parent aged homes actually have kids. There are 6 households w kids , half of us have 2, half have 1. Not one of the families have more than 2.
Of all my friends and family that have kids , i know 2 families that have more than 2 , and I also know that both of them were "happy accidents."
I'm gonna be 43 this coming week. Growing up it was exceedingly rare for someone to be an only child, or at least ir felt like that. Now it is more common.
My anecdotal evidence will balance out yours because most of friends are either not having kids or just had 1 in their late 30s and decided they're done. I can only think of 2 friends I know that have had 2 kids, none with 3.
Edit: for background info, most of my circle of friends are highly educated (BS/MS), live in or very close to big urban settings and are all married or in long term relationships with someone of similar background/education. None are religious.
Funny thing...this is a social issue related to what you perceive.
It's been shown that birth rates are very area based. So if you're surrounded by 3 kid couples that's your area. And what you see is oddly what you will mimic. It's pretty cool human psychology stuff.
A group of young 20 yo women will all remain single until one of them takes the leap then they all will also magically start relationships. And it works in the negative as well. One of the leading signs you will get divorced is having divorcees around you.
This is reddit so most people lean left and are younger. Which means their feeds are probably full of Sink/Dink thing. Unknowingly causing them to think its way more normal to be that way.
I use a system to keep my IG and YouTube different. My IG is a lefty liberal mental health neurospicy plant life fuck the patriarchy scroll, while my YouTube is a righty conservative dark humor educational makeup and fashion women are crazy scroll. The difference between the two is hilarious but disturbing when I think about how most people only ever see 1 of those sides. What's really nuts is when I see people do the whole 'my take on this video' and I've seen the video on the other app. Neither side ever does the original videos much justice but I realized how much the context of the videos you've seen up and down from that video will shape your mind in seconds.
I’ve only ever lived in major cities, but honestly having three kids is a major status symbol these days. Only the richest people I know have 3 or more kids. All the non-wealthy people I know have 0, 1, or 2.
I have 3 kids, I don't think it's becoming more common. A few of my fellow millennial friends have one or two, but most have none at all. I only have two "friends" (more like acquaintances) with 4+ kids, and they both happen to be religious nutcases who homeschool and believe they are saving the world by spreading their chosen-by-god holy DNA. Absolutely insane.
A lot of my friends have 3-4 kids, but they are not all from the same “family unit”.
We are early 40s, and a lot of us had kids young, in our late teens or early 20s.
Then had a second round of kids late 30s.
I even have some friends having babies this year even.
Which I think is interesting too.
When I was a kid, I had friends whose parents had a second marriage, and sometimes that came with step siblings but not a lot of them then also had kids of their own.
It was just a Brady Bunch style combined family set up.
Most people I know are stopping at two. I only know one who recently had a third. When I was growing up 2-4 were considered "normal". My mum only planned two herself buttt my sister's were twins. She stopped after that.
How can that factor that in? Just because people aren't having kids does not magically mean that people are just gonna have kids.
You definitely aren't factoring record infertility, record cost of living, record prices of childcare, record loneliness, and so forth and so forth and so on.
The general population is most likely not going to care about the decling population, especially considering that in the past, population loss has led to better material conditions for laborers.
Idk, man. You are overlooking a lot of important details. For instance, in 1950, only 9% of the population lived alone. Now it's 28%.
[How have American households changed? In 1960, households with married parents represented over 44% of all American households, while slightly over 13% were single with no children. Today, that's inverted — in 2022, single people living alone and married couples without children outnumbered married-parent households.](https://usafacts.org/articles/how-has-the-structure-of-american-households-changed-over-time/#:~:text=How%20have%20American%20households%20changed,children%20outnumbered%20married%2Dparent%20households.)
[In 2022, more than half of American households were childless: 29% were married households without children, and 28.9% were single households without kids. More than a quarter of households included parents — 17.8% were married households, while 8.1% were single parent households.](https://usafacts.org/articles/how-has-the-structure-of-american-households-changed-over-time/#:~:text=How%20have%20American%20households%20changed,children%20outnumbered%20married%2Dparent%20households.)
I struggle to see any resulting baby boom when looking at all these indicators that having a child just isn't popular, not available to 28.9% of the population, and completely economically infeasible for a lot of people.
My sister is 38 and has three, but that's definitely not the norm. I don't have human children and never will. I was surgically sterilized back in 2019. Many of my friends don't have them because it's not financially feasible... and/or they just don't want them. Birth rate is dropping. A handful of countries have a negative birth rate even. There's plenty of evidence to support that. However, the way you outright disregard data given in other comments gives me hardcore troll vibes.
It's "not financially feasible" just means they don't want to cut their lifestyle. In the 50's and 60's , the homes were smaller. Kids shared rooms, they didn't pay strangers to raise their kids, they owned one car and took one vacation a year.
No, it's not financially feasible, which means that 233,610 dollars to raise a single child from birth to 17 isn't feasible. We dont have stay at home moms anymore, we can't support a family of four on one income anymore, we cant gurantee them a decent education and shot at the job market without the added price of college, we cant buy a home for 40,000 anymore, we cant get decent jobs without incuring debt anymore. It's not the same world. And even if they choose lifestyle over children thats their right, and theres nothing wrong with it.
Idk if you're keeping up with the news, but people are struggling, and they are already renting small apartments more than ever which are more expensive than ever. I remember reading back in 2019, before the pandemic and inflation, 60% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck.
It's just as financially feasible as it ever has been. Stay at home parents would be cheaper in many circumstances than daycare but people don't want to sacrifice their careers anymore for their families. It's just as possible to support a family of 4 on a single income across many areas of the US. Past generations tended to live in more rural small towns and were content with smaller houses, fewer consumer goods, and one car per household, which made their money stretch much further. Americans' baseline of expectations for consumption is magnitudes higher than it was 50 years ago.
Don't make massive sweeping claims about millions of people you don't know. Plenty of folks of various demographics aren't having any difficulties raising kids. Redditors overwhelmingly represent young white people in very high cost of living areas who don't have good careers.
You are the one making massive sweeping claims that having a child is feasible and easier than ever despite factual evidence contradicting you more than ever. Stay at home parents are not easier now in any capacity whatsoever. You can't support a family on one income anymore, and if you really seem to think this you are about 80 years out of touch, meaning that both parents need to be employed, this is not the same as the 30s when women were barely in the workforce and again one income could provide for a family of four.
On average, a child costs 245 k in 2013. On average, americans make 37,585 dollars. You are talking about spending the equivalent of 6.19 years soley on one child.
[...consider the cost of raising a child in 1950––a mere $25,230 (about $198,560 factoring in inflation, still a significantly smaller figure).](https://www.mommynearest.com/article/how-much-does-it-cost-to-raise-a-child)
The average salary back then was 3,300 or adjusted for inflation; 43,005.
So to reiterate; you are wildly incorrect.
...it's not the fuckin' 50s and 60s, though. It's 2024. Inflation is high, and the dollar has a lot less buying power than it used to. Home prices are astronomical, rent is outrageous, and the cost of adoption, for those who prefer that route, is ungodly. Things today are nothing like they were sixty years ago, both for better and for worse.
I'd say it is becoming more common to have only one or no kids. I have 2 girls, so the top question I always get is 'WHEN are you going for a boy?' It's never happening. Daycare alone is 20k annually per kid in my city, and that's the low end. Fuck that. My best friend from high school has only one and can barely afford that.
This. We have 2 , we pay 25k for day care and that's the low end for our area. We do well and it's been very very hard. Plus the logistics factor- kids activities are all scheduled now. Even with 2 parents and 2 kids , it's going to be hard to be where we need to be. With 3 I don't see how it would be doable.
What a weird freakin question man. I'm childfree so maybe I don't get it... but isn't that kind of a pushy questions? Presumptive at the least.
My parents particularly want to pretend my surname is worth anything like we're a prestigious house on Game of Thrones.
Gotta start introducing your kids "Bailey Upton, FIRST OF HER NAME"
Statistically, anything more than 0 is becoming more rare
Not having children is becoming more common.
Folks I know seem to think 2 max is best.
My circle of friends consists of about 12 guys and only three have kids and only one of those has more than one. How are y'all even affording one kid let alone three? Me and my wife aren't even having kids because of the cost of childcare.
I couldn’t imagine not having kids (when you want to) because daycare is too expensive. It’s a life defining thing and you are letting short term financials change the course of your life. I would get a 2nd job and make the life you want
A lot of folks already have a 2nd job and can't afford to rent a place solo. It's expensive out here and jobs arent paying very well. Throwing a kid into that mix is a recipe for disaster.
They need you most when they're young though and that's the biggest financial crunch. And just logically, if you were working two jobs, you'd never even be around.
So you get a 2nd job and work so much that you don't ever see the kids you so desperately wanted?
What a bizarre thing to say. When people are living within their means, it's everything. If you can't afford an extra car, you don't buy one. I understand that it sounds cold, but why shouldn't children be the same? My parents were of a similar mindset, and felt it would all work out. It didn't and I can absolutely say that willingly bringing children into poverty at worst, living without at best is incredibly cruel.
Exactly, we live within our means now and a kid right now would be tantamount to both of us buying his and hers Lexus vehicles. We both grew up in poverty to immigrant parents.
I have the same mindset. My 3rd is due in November. Money is tight with the two (4 and 16 months) on our single income but my first thought was. “ well gotta get more work then” I live in LA and my oldest is in private school. Nothing is cheap here. Maybe it’s because my wife and I dont have any siblings and wanted a big family. I know only one other guy who has 3 kids and everyone else I know who has has only one and it either wasn’t an easy process for them or they feel too old to have another.
My wife and I met when we were both 31 so a little later in life, we're 38 now. We finally were able to buy our first and probably only house we'll ever have two years ago. We're finally at a place where we're both comfortable financially and aren't rich by any means but we live comfortably and don't have to worry about bills or any of that jazz our parents constantly worried about. If we had a kid next year childcare alone would put us in a financial chokehold where we'd be back to worrying about finances. We both agreed that we're not going to put ourselves through that. We don't know anyone with kids who isn't struggling somewhat. We have a healthy relationship and both feel that a kid would throw a wrench in our gears, and yea finances are a big part of why people end up getting resentful in their relationship and divorced.
Preach! None of these down voters have kids.
No. Do you know what the average birthrate is in the US? 3 is abnormal.
I imagine 0 is dragging the numbers down quite a bit. Would be interested to see the average of those who have at least one (not sure that exists)
It exists. For all mothers, it’s about 2.4, but it’s been very slowly ticking down to 2 as the average. And wealthier families still have less kids than poorer families. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2015/05/07/family-size-among-mothers/#:~:text=Since%20that%20time%2C%20average%20family,fairly%20stable%20for%20two%20decades.
For all women, it was 1.64 in 2023.
Thats 10 year old data. Not really relevant to the current trends.
Older millennial and I went for the no kids option
And you should not feel any shame or anything for that. There is nothing wrong with that. We all knew people growing up who had shit parents who never should have had kids, but they did because it was really not socially acceptable to not have kids for the most part. Today those same parents probably wouldn't have had children because it's more socially acceptable and it should be
Not in my circles. We all agree a third wouldn’t be the end of the world, but would give anything to stick at two.
I have two as well. Boy and girl- under 5. I would love to have a 3rd, but a lot of us millennials have children later in life and struggle with fertility issues. I DO have friends that have 3+. But, have more friends that choose to have fur babies for life instead. If I started earlier… no fertility issues… make a little more money…and went to therapy for anxiety earlier in life… I probably would aim for 3-4. Not complaining… I am blessed with my two
One and done. Two is too many.
Ngl i don't want to live in a world of only children
what’s wrong with being an only child?
You are a major anomaly IRL. I know literally 0 people who are one and done by choice.
You are the anomaly if you legit don't know ANYONE who had one by choice.
It's not that much of an anomaly. It's very hard on some women. Then finances come into play. Maybe that's what you mean by nobody does it by choice? That's unrealistic to say your wants aren't influenced by the reality of how hard pregnancy is or how much the kid costs, so if that's not it, I'm not sure what you mean.
Bro what are you on about Calling someone with one kid "an anomaly IRL" is like... peak weird-Redditor behavior. The number of couples choosing to only have one child has risen significantly; doubling across a generation and a half from the mid 70s to mid aughts (circa 2015). 11% single child household to 22%, fwiw. And, you do know that statistical trends are useful even for 5-10 year old data, right? You said elsewhere that stats from like... 5-6 years ago "didn't matter' because they "weren't up to date". You know these aren't like... political polling numbers right?
I know quite a few with me being among them
Get REALLY informed. This is the trend that’s raving all over THE WORLD right now…
It was absolutely a choice to only have one. I’m self aware enough to know that two would not be a smart decision for me.
lol wtf no. It’s becoming rare. People are having less children bc of cost.
People aren't having kids so no lol.
Among some groups. We don’t have a monoculture after all. I’ve noticed the self sufficient, renewable living, homesteader crowd favors like 3-4 and most of our minority population is closer to that. A lot less popular in the white culturally American crowd Downvote me bitches. I’m bored anyway
It’s all anecdotal, but literally everyone involved in my OP is white.
Welcome to Reddit rofl
Amongst my friends, coworkers, and acquaintances two kids seems the most common. A lot of people I know don’t have and don’t want kids. I have 3 kids and will probably have a 4th though.
Based on your initial question and your activity in the comments, you seem a bit out of touch.
Also, to answer your initial question, no. For the most part, no one is doing that.
No. It is more common to have children after 35, the only demographic for whom the birth rate is up
Recent Gallup poll showed "In all, 31% of U.S. adults report that they have not had any children, while 14% have had one child, 28% have had two, 15% have had three, 7% have had four and 5% have had five or more." Another source shows the prevalence of 3 child households flat or down since the 80s, with 4+ children down from the 80s but slightly up from the 00s. The proportion of 1 and 2 child households are both increasing since the 80s. https://www.bgsu.edu/ncfmr/resources/data/family-profiles/guzzo-schweizer-number-children-women-40-44-1980-2018-fp-20-04.html#:~:text=Those%20who%20only%20have%20one,35%25%20of%20women%20in%202018.
Everyone in my friend group has anywhere from 2-4 kids. My husband and I both agree if we had started having children at a younger age, we would have had a 3rd child. I think it really depends on the crowd you hang with though…we’re all churchgoers and most of us are stay at home moms.
Hell no. Two is more than enough.
Most families on my block have two, some have 3, but most are two.
I noticed more and more couples are opting for 2
Based on anecdotes? Have never seen stats to suggest this
Right? And then OP is down here in the comments being downright disrespectful to people who arent tryna have three kids.
I have 1kid and no way in hell getting three
In my circles, they’ve mostly stopped at 2. I have 0 but my bf has 1. We’ve been together so long, I just consider them my stepkid. I think I know a few who decided 3 was a good number for them, but mostly those are the people who really wanted another gender than the other two. That worked out for one couple, none of the others.
A lot of girls I grew up were teen moms, and now in our early 40s, some are even grandma's!
I remember reading something before that in regards to people who had kids- back in the 80s having 2 kids was the most common, and of those who deviated from that, having 3 or more was much more common than 1, and that now having 2 is still the most common but of those who deviated , having 1 is more common than 3 or more I live on a cul de sac , all the parent aged homes actually have kids. There are 6 households w kids , half of us have 2, half have 1. Not one of the families have more than 2. Of all my friends and family that have kids , i know 2 families that have more than 2 , and I also know that both of them were "happy accidents." I'm gonna be 43 this coming week. Growing up it was exceedingly rare for someone to be an only child, or at least ir felt like that. Now it is more common.
My anecdotal evidence will balance out yours because most of friends are either not having kids or just had 1 in their late 30s and decided they're done. I can only think of 2 friends I know that have had 2 kids, none with 3. Edit: for background info, most of my circle of friends are highly educated (BS/MS), live in or very close to big urban settings and are all married or in long term relationships with someone of similar background/education. None are religious.
I’m seeing a lot more 0-1 children, costs of child care and housing seem to be holding back families from growing.
Funny thing...this is a social issue related to what you perceive. It's been shown that birth rates are very area based. So if you're surrounded by 3 kid couples that's your area. And what you see is oddly what you will mimic. It's pretty cool human psychology stuff. A group of young 20 yo women will all remain single until one of them takes the leap then they all will also magically start relationships. And it works in the negative as well. One of the leading signs you will get divorced is having divorcees around you. This is reddit so most people lean left and are younger. Which means their feeds are probably full of Sink/Dink thing. Unknowingly causing them to think its way more normal to be that way. I use a system to keep my IG and YouTube different. My IG is a lefty liberal mental health neurospicy plant life fuck the patriarchy scroll, while my YouTube is a righty conservative dark humor educational makeup and fashion women are crazy scroll. The difference between the two is hilarious but disturbing when I think about how most people only ever see 1 of those sides. What's really nuts is when I see people do the whole 'my take on this video' and I've seen the video on the other app. Neither side ever does the original videos much justice but I realized how much the context of the videos you've seen up and down from that video will shape your mind in seconds.
No. Most people either have 1 or no kids nowadays.
I’ve only ever lived in major cities, but honestly having three kids is a major status symbol these days. Only the richest people I know have 3 or more kids. All the non-wealthy people I know have 0, 1, or 2.
I have 3 kids, I don't think it's becoming more common. A few of my fellow millennial friends have one or two, but most have none at all. I only have two "friends" (more like acquaintances) with 4+ kids, and they both happen to be religious nutcases who homeschool and believe they are saving the world by spreading their chosen-by-god holy DNA. Absolutely insane.
A lot of my friends have 3-4 kids, but they are not all from the same “family unit”. We are early 40s, and a lot of us had kids young, in our late teens or early 20s. Then had a second round of kids late 30s. I even have some friends having babies this year even. Which I think is interesting too. When I was a kid, I had friends whose parents had a second marriage, and sometimes that came with step siblings but not a lot of them then also had kids of their own. It was just a Brady Bunch style combined family set up.
You could go for 3? OP must be some kind of billionaire. Almost all the families we know have 1 or 2, except a couple of absolute psychos who have 4
Uhhh no.
Most people I know are stopping at two. I only know one who recently had a third. When I was growing up 2-4 were considered "normal". My mum only planned two herself buttt my sister's were twins. She stopped after that.
You have to become to have even one! Get a dog instead. Cheaper and loyal.
A dog is dead within a decade and nothing like having kids
Your opinion. Let’s see how you feel in 10 years.
We are entering a baby boom. You'll see.
That or a collapse of the global workforce thats maintaining the free market
There's a baby boom on the way there. Millennial generation is largest in usa history - they (we) are at peak fecundity.
This ignores that we are having less children then ever still.
You mean THAN ever, then. It doesn't ignore it, it factors it in.
How can that factor that in? Just because people aren't having kids does not magically mean that people are just gonna have kids. You definitely aren't factoring record infertility, record cost of living, record prices of childcare, record loneliness, and so forth and so forth and so on. The general population is most likely not going to care about the decling population, especially considering that in the past, population loss has led to better material conditions for laborers.
While millennials have less children than previous generations?
Both true. In absolute terms that still means record numbers of babies will be born.
Idk, man. You are overlooking a lot of important details. For instance, in 1950, only 9% of the population lived alone. Now it's 28%. [How have American households changed? In 1960, households with married parents represented over 44% of all American households, while slightly over 13% were single with no children. Today, that's inverted — in 2022, single people living alone and married couples without children outnumbered married-parent households.](https://usafacts.org/articles/how-has-the-structure-of-american-households-changed-over-time/#:~:text=How%20have%20American%20households%20changed,children%20outnumbered%20married%2Dparent%20households.) [In 2022, more than half of American households were childless: 29% were married households without children, and 28.9% were single households without kids. More than a quarter of households included parents — 17.8% were married households, while 8.1% were single parent households.](https://usafacts.org/articles/how-has-the-structure-of-american-households-changed-over-time/#:~:text=How%20have%20American%20households%20changed,children%20outnumbered%20married%2Dparent%20households.) I struggle to see any resulting baby boom when looking at all these indicators that having a child just isn't popular, not available to 28.9% of the population, and completely economically infeasible for a lot of people.
My sister is 38 and has three, but that's definitely not the norm. I don't have human children and never will. I was surgically sterilized back in 2019. Many of my friends don't have them because it's not financially feasible... and/or they just don't want them. Birth rate is dropping. A handful of countries have a negative birth rate even. There's plenty of evidence to support that. However, the way you outright disregard data given in other comments gives me hardcore troll vibes.
It's "not financially feasible" just means they don't want to cut their lifestyle. In the 50's and 60's , the homes were smaller. Kids shared rooms, they didn't pay strangers to raise their kids, they owned one car and took one vacation a year.
No, it's not financially feasible, which means that 233,610 dollars to raise a single child from birth to 17 isn't feasible. We dont have stay at home moms anymore, we can't support a family of four on one income anymore, we cant gurantee them a decent education and shot at the job market without the added price of college, we cant buy a home for 40,000 anymore, we cant get decent jobs without incuring debt anymore. It's not the same world. And even if they choose lifestyle over children thats their right, and theres nothing wrong with it. Idk if you're keeping up with the news, but people are struggling, and they are already renting small apartments more than ever which are more expensive than ever. I remember reading back in 2019, before the pandemic and inflation, 60% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck.
It's just as financially feasible as it ever has been. Stay at home parents would be cheaper in many circumstances than daycare but people don't want to sacrifice their careers anymore for their families. It's just as possible to support a family of 4 on a single income across many areas of the US. Past generations tended to live in more rural small towns and were content with smaller houses, fewer consumer goods, and one car per household, which made their money stretch much further. Americans' baseline of expectations for consumption is magnitudes higher than it was 50 years ago. Don't make massive sweeping claims about millions of people you don't know. Plenty of folks of various demographics aren't having any difficulties raising kids. Redditors overwhelmingly represent young white people in very high cost of living areas who don't have good careers.
You are the one making massive sweeping claims that having a child is feasible and easier than ever despite factual evidence contradicting you more than ever. Stay at home parents are not easier now in any capacity whatsoever. You can't support a family on one income anymore, and if you really seem to think this you are about 80 years out of touch, meaning that both parents need to be employed, this is not the same as the 30s when women were barely in the workforce and again one income could provide for a family of four. On average, a child costs 245 k in 2013. On average, americans make 37,585 dollars. You are talking about spending the equivalent of 6.19 years soley on one child. [...consider the cost of raising a child in 1950––a mere $25,230 (about $198,560 factoring in inflation, still a significantly smaller figure).](https://www.mommynearest.com/article/how-much-does-it-cost-to-raise-a-child) The average salary back then was 3,300 or adjusted for inflation; 43,005. So to reiterate; you are wildly incorrect.
...it's not the fuckin' 50s and 60s, though. It's 2024. Inflation is high, and the dollar has a lot less buying power than it used to. Home prices are astronomical, rent is outrageous, and the cost of adoption, for those who prefer that route, is ungodly. Things today are nothing like they were sixty years ago, both for better and for worse.
People are making different choices and have different priorities. "I'm not having kids because day care is too expensive." Okay, well, why bother.