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Posted on 07/27/2024 6:01:13 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
For years now, we've been analyzing the alarming drop in birth rates in the United States and most of the Western world. This situation is no longer hypothetical in terms of being a potential crisis. The United States has already fallen below the minimum reproductive replacement rate (an average of 2.1 children per adult woman) for multiple years in a row. Somewhat ironically, it's only the massive influx of illegal migrants that is keeping our heads above water at the moment. While there is clearly a valid question to be asked as to whether a population that is increasingly comprised of illegal aliens is worth saving, it's still an issue of great concern. USA Today gathered a group of "experts" in this field who surveyed childless American women and couples to try to figure out why so few people are choosing to bear children today. The answers probably won't be all that shocking to most of you, but they also don't point to any quick or easy solutions.
Lisa and Michael Harris decided early in their relationship that children weren't likely in their future.
The Alexandria, Virginia-based couple married in 2019, when Michael was 60 and Lisa 49. While Lisa made clear during one of their first dates that she "reserved the right to adopt," the couple said there was little discussion of having kids after that. Instead, the Harrises have poured their time and resources into their social life, careers and travel. Both work in cybersecurity, and Lisa said getting her two master's degrees would have been more difficult with children.
"I never felt the need," Lisa said. "I felt a-okay to take care of myself, put food on my own table, get myself out the door in the morning. But the thought of dragging some innocent by standard into that? Not so sure."
People without children offered a variety of reasons for being childless. But despite concerns about rising rates of infertility globally, only a relatively small number of Americans cited that as the problem. Just 13% of younger couples and 15% of older (age 49 and above) couples cited an inability to conceive as the reason. The modern advent of medical technology including IVF and fertility drugs is credited with that statistic being as low as it is.
Among younger adults, the primary reasons given for not having children were as follows:
For all of the talk we hear about climate change, relatively few younger people are offering that as a reason not to bring children into the world. This is either a sign of selfishness or a clue that most of them don't really believe it's that big of a deal. Concerns over the cost of raising children are certainly valid. Raising kids is expensive. Studies show that the average parent will pay nearly a quarter million dollars to raise a child to the age of 18. But the government already offers substantial tax breaks to families with children and numerous child care and welfare programs exist to provide help to those in need. You don't have to be born into the families of Silicon Valley tech barons to be able to start a family.
I think most of us can relate to the concerns of those who are so concerned about the current state of the world that they are avoiding procreation. The world is currently a mess and there is little reason to deny that. Who wants to bring children into a world that appears to be going up in flames? Of course, it's a mess of our own making, particularly these days. It should be fixable if we were united in a desire to do so, yet we seem to be stuck in a doom loop at this point.
That brings us to the most commonly cited reason: a desire to "focus on other things." At least to me, this seems like selfish, short-sighted thinking. The "DINKs," as they are known ("double income, no kids") may have extra money available to go out partying or even save toward retirement, but the day will come when they look around their otherwise empty homes and realize that something fundamentally vital has been missing for all of their adult lives together. And as the specter of old age looms, they will be left wondering who will care for them in their dotage. If nothing else, they are living in denial of what is one of the fundamental, defining characteristics of all living creatures: the drive to reproduce and continue the species. If we have managed to evolve our way past that naturally inherent characteristic, we may as well throw in the towel because the game is essentially over.
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DINC’s can enjoy more active life.
Dinc = double income no children.
Innocent by standard?
A professional writer wrote that.
Up here, with the people my son’s age (34) it’s a major issue.
Careers (especially females) are more important. For a young man to find a reasonably normal spouse is very difficult. For a young woman, to find a man who wants to take on the responsibility and provide and protect, almost impossible. Lots of mentally unstable young people, lots of out-of-wedlock kids, lots of chasing after material things first.
Add to that, if you do find someone, good luck buying a home. It’s even more difficult to rent something decent. If you’re forced to rent, you’ll never save enough for a home. Right now you need a down payment of the same amount that a home used to cost. Men up here feel completely demoralized, and for good reason.
How many have more than one cat?
Why are people having less kids? Hmm let’s see what the single young white male has to deal with these days:
>can’t afford rent/house
>groceries gone up 3x
>degrees are worthless
>no jobs available
>women have impossible standards and won’t even date 98% of men
>Constantly surrounded by illegal 3rd world trash bringing down income and taking up residential space, driving up housing prices
"Experts" aren't interested in the opinions of unmarried men.
“Idiocracy” becomes fact.......
You nailed it for us. I knew since I was really young that I never wanted children, and it took me until I was 35 to meet a lady that felt the same. We are very fortunate, and have an amazing life together.
But do they own cats?
Because that’s what the culture sells. My mother was nearly in tears every time I told her I was pregnant, wasting my brain and my education.
My daughter astonished me on Career Day when she said she wanted to be a mother and be at home with her children. I’d bet she was the only girl in the school who said that.
My kids call their cousin a DINKWAD: dual income no kids with a dog
They can enjoy life up to a point....but who will come see them when they’re old?
>>How many have more than one cat?
Currently two dogs. Have had up to 5 cats. Never had kids. Prefer fur.
The answer is simple: we have been promoting getting a selfish career, for both men and women, over getting married and starting a family. We are have less children because we have been training our children to view individual self-fulfillment as more important. In particular, we have been training girls to hate their feminine nature and seek independence outside of the home. Then we act surprised when our children grow up and act that way that we trained them.
Move to a 55 plus community and you’ll have plenty of people to get together with even on holidays.
This may shock you but people have friends and family besides their own kids
define a “selfish career”
My youngest kid went to Xavier - none of her classmates have kids - half still aren’t married - they have good jobs and are in their Mid-30’s - their priority in life is a new car and expensive vacations.
Cat Lady Libs?
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