When the millennials were just kids, most of them dreamed of having their own families. They envisioned themselves with multiple children and living in a big, family home. Fast forward to their college graduation, and it seemed that many of them have changed their minds.
Even Gen-Zers are having second thoughts about having kids. This trend worries baby boomers and other older generations. The governments of many countries feel the same. After all, a declining birth rate would result in an aging population, which causes a problem in the workforce.
We can’t blame millennials and Gen-Zers for their choice, though. The U.S. is experiencing a childcare affordability crisis. Currently, the average cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 is more than $230,000. And with a pandemic, making that much money became harder than it already is. It turns out that even if you’re insured, childcare isn’t going to hurt your pockets any less.
So will childlessness become the norm in the near future?
The Recessions’ Impact on Family Planning
Older millennials have gone through two economic crises: the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the 2008 crisis, older millennials were in their early and mid-20s and were having kids at roughly the same rate as Gen-Xers and other older generations. And then the birth rate significantly declined during the Great Recession. As it hit the older millennials at an inopportune moment in their lives, they decided to stop having more kids.
When the pandemic took place in 2020, Brookings Institute estimated that the number of births would fall by at least 300,000. At first, many people thought there would be more births since we had nothing to do during the lockdown but to have more kids. As it turns out, older millennials have been hit by a “double whammy”, that being the two recessions during the peak of their childbearing years.
Gen-Zers Want to Retire Early
Gen-Zers in the U.K. have also expressed their desires to be childless. According to research by PensionBee, 1 in 10 childless 18- to 23-year-olds are considering not having kids. They cited wanting to retire early as the key motivator of their decision.
The research found that Londoners were more likely to not have kids if it meant they could retire earlier. And, interestingly, childlessness was considered more often by people with average- to higher-paid jobs.
Having Kids May Have an Environmental Impact
U.S. congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparked a debate when she asked if it was okay to have children, considering the environmental impact of overpopulation. Indeed, overpopulation leads to the destruction of more forests, so that they could be built into residential areas. In addition, having too many kids can lead to poverty, which affects housing options and conditions. Many of the urban poor dwell on riverbanks, for one thing, contributing to the growing problem of ocean pollution.
Will Childlessness Become the Norm?
It may not become the norm, but we can expect a lower birth rate for years to come if this trend continues. Besides, many millennials still want to have children, just not now, and preferably two at max. In a survey by The Harris Poll, 25% of millennials said they just decided to wait longer to have kids because of the pandemic. And a promising 48% said the pandemic hasn’t altered their plans to have kids.
We can’t deny that raising kids is too expensive and that the current state of the world isn’t the best for supporting a child’s development. Going to prenatal appointments alone are too risky, with hospitals brimming with COVID-19 patients. On the bright side, we now have the vaccines, and pregnant women can get the shots. But as we all know, vaccines don’t make us totally immune to COVID-19.
Furthermore, regardless of the pandemic, the public’s opinion on family planning is changing. Nowadays, you’d find that most millennials and Gen-Zers would prefer only one to two kids if they want any. They also push for better access to birth control and reproductive health resources. Even abortion is no longer morally wrong in the opinions of many. According to the Pro-choice, abortion is healthcare, and therefore, should be made legal. They were heard by 45 states, all of which enacted abortion-related laws to improve access to the healthcare service. Safe abortion is now available in reputable clinics and other healthcare facilities.
If we need more children in this world, it’s not people of childbearing age who should act. Rather, it’s the public servants. They should help boost the economy, improve the masses’ welfare, and continue making efforts to save the environment. If we see a better and safer world in the future, then perhaps birth rates will rise again.