The feminist movement of the 1960s and ‘70s birthed the beginning of women fighting for equal pay, equal treatment, and equal opportunity. But by getting more control of their business destiny, they also made decisions about what happened to their body, including if they would have kids.
The trend of not having kids has increased with each generation. Today, millennial women choosing to not have kids has reached uncomfortable levels causing some alarm for those who track birth rates in the country.
The decline in US fertility has been driven primarily by a trend among young adults to postpone having children. Forty years ago, birth rates among women in their twenties were significantly higher than those of women in their thirties.
Some are blaming the feminist movement for the reduction in women wanting kids. Women in the workplace also meant fewer women at home, birthing children, and raising kids. And the ever-changing landscape of marriage has also limited the number of kids being born.
Marriage statistics indicate that less than 50 percent of relationships last. That, along with couples waiting longer to have kids, means that only one or two kids are born per couple. The days of families having four or more kids is a rare occurrence, if at all.
For younger people, the idea of having children has vanished, as well as owning a home, finding a career after college, or anything else.
For about 61 percent of millennials, one of the main reasons they cite for not having kids is that they simply can’t afford to. That’s the top reason among 44 percent of the overall US population, by comparison.
The skyrocketing cost to live in the US is forcing women to make difficult decisions about how and when to have kids.
“My husband and I want to have kids, but we don’t want to bring a child into the world if we’re going to struggle to feed and clothe it,” Crystal said. “We’re going to wait until we can be sure we can provide the kind of lifestyle our child deserves.”
Crystal didn’t mention the additional costs that come with having a child. People who were polled also included the increase in health care, childcare, and food as a reason to either not have kids or delay having them until they can afford them.
In the last several years, the reasons for not having kids have changed.
Some are concerned about having children because of the instability caused by climate change, political division, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s no secret that the country is in turmoil. Concerns about crime, sex trafficking, random violence, and the cost of living are giving people pause when it comes to having kids.
“I’m personally beyond my child-bearing years, but if I weren’t, there is no way I would bring a child into this world,” Cindy said. “Our society is so bad that I would fear for the safety of my child going to school, walking the streets, or simply just doing everyday things.”
Cindy isn’t alone. A growing number of women simply don’t want to bring a child into a world where so many bad things are happening. But the choice to not have kids has serious consequences for society.
For the first month of 2023, the US has seen at least 10 mass shootings with the number increasing to almost 1 per day. People are watching — in real-time — crime increase across the country. With no end in sight, the choice to reproduce becomes a factor.
Finally, there are those who simply enjoy the lifestyle of a single person. The longer a female waits to have a child, the less and less she desires the need to become a parent.
The independent women of today enjoy their financial freedom, their time, and their ability to move without delay. They are not willing to give that freedom up simply to have children.
The two most important reasons women gave for choosing not to have children were that it would infringe on their freedom and that raising children takes too much time and energy; many women who gave the second reason also gave the first.
But hold on! There is a flip side to this coin. The American Sociological Association recently conducted a study on this very topic and found that parents are more likely to be depressed than their childfree counterparts. In fact, people without kids were happier than any other group, including empty nesters.
Couples without kids can travel more, have more toys, and enjoy a lifestyle free of diapers and drama. Absent children, however, there is also less need to stay together. Couples without children divorce more often than couples who have at least one child, according to researchers, despite numerous studies that marital happiness nosedives in the first year or two after the birth of a child and sometimes never quite recoups.
According to a new study, 66 percent of divorced couples are childless, while about 40 percent have children together. But while researchers are sure that childless couples are more likely to divorce, they disagree on the reasons why.
So, the jury is out on whether having kids makes a woman’s life better or worse. Women today have more choices than ever. What they do with choices is entirely up to them, and that’s what the feminist movement was all about. ●
