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Originally Posted by 1overcosc
I do sometimes worry about the seemingly massive shift away from having kids in our culture. Among the Gen Z'ers it seems to be the norm to not want kids and childless-ness (and even being single/unmarried forever) is increasingly being glorified. We can paper over an aging population with immigration for a while but that's not going to work forever.
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The eldest Gen Z'ers are only just entering their late 20s now, while the younger ones are still in high school. They're all still some years away from peak family formation age, so I wouldn't put too much stock into what they're saying at this point - if you had asked me in my early 20s if I wanted kids the answer would have been resounding
hell no. But eventually, the biological clock starts ticking and people reach an age where they just start feeling some innate urge to procreate. I don't think that much will ever change.
In the grand scheme of things though, declining fertility rates (as is happening around the world) are a good thing. The current global population is unsustainable, and a gradual population reduction would be in humanity's best long-term interest. It's sure going to make for a weirdly geriatric society in the meantime though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
We've seen this trend growing for a while among young people, though a much more common reason for young people saying the might want to remain childless now is a concern about the world their kids would live in: climate and social disruptions. I am hearing that more and more from kids in their late teens and early 20s.
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This also sounds more like the post-hoc rationalization of those who are really too young to even be thinking seriously about kids, and again I can remember saying those exact same things when I was that age.
Amongst my peers who are now actually at the age (late 20s-mid 30s) where they're thinking of starting families though, by far the most common concern or barrier (at least among those who potentially
do want children) is money. Between the rising cost of living, housing costs, debt, and career delays/interruptions that we've experienced due to the recession & Covid, Millennials are already living pretty precariously without the added burden of children. Being able to
afford a child is increasingly being seen as a luxury, or even status symbol.
It's certainly a top-of-mind issue for me as well - especially having to worry about being able to afford suitable housing - though I do think that if
that were the reason I didn't have kids that I'd ultimately regret it. Especially as one's economic situation can change over time.