By Emily Gianni
A growing number of American women have lost interest in having children. In a survey from the November Pew Research Center, 44 percent of people who aren’t parents said it is not likely that they will ever have kids. This is up by seven percent from the same group who participated in 2018. There is no main reason behind women not wanting to have children. As of April 2022, one in six Americans, 55 years and older, do not have children.
First of all, children are expensive. Childcare costs are up to $10,000 a year. Birth rates have fallen four percent from 2019-2020, which is the sharpest single-year decline in birth rates since 1979. Now, it is claimed that the more educated women get, the more likely it is for them to postpone having children. More and more women are having children in their thirties. According to a report written by the US Department of Agriculture, the average middle-income family spends between $12,000 and $14,000 on child-related expenses every year.
Women decide just not to have children now because they would rather focus on their careers and travel. Some women claim that they are afraid they will lose themselves if they choose to have children. Their lives will be completely focused on their children and they won’t be able to benefit their own lives. They want more freedom in their own life that allows them to experience their own life and follow their dreams. Women would rather not have children to focus on their life and goals, especially with work. As of 2012, mothers were spending about 104 minutes a day caring for their kids. This is about twice what mothers did in 1965. The pandemic also increased responsibilities for caring for their children in the home. This increases the commitment parents have for raising children.
Women are not having children because of their very own personal decision. Some women do not want to have children because they do not want to be like their biological parents. Some women do not want to have children because they do not want to change their bodies. Some women are choosing not to have children simply because they do not like kids. It is clear that women are increasingly having a say in whether they want, or don’t want to have children. More women now than ever are choosing not to have children, and it is being more normalized!