First comes marriage, then comes the baby and baby carriage. Young girls in America have been saying that jingle for centuries. However, Gen Zers are the first generation in American history to decide that neither the baby nor the baby carriage are ideal for them. The main reason for that is financial. However, other reasons are motivating more and more of them to stay child-free. You just may be surprised to learn what these reasons are.
One in Four Gen Zers is Choosing the Childfree Life
According to a recent survey by MassMutual, close to a quarter (23%) of Gen Zers who are currently childfree want to stay that way. The majority of them cite two major factors shaping their decision. The first is that they have more money for travel and enjoy life in general without kids. The second is that raising kids is too expensive.
Having Kids Can Endanger a Family’s Finances
First, it starts with the formula. Mothers who can’t exclusively breastfeed must rely on formula to a certain extent. A can of baby powder formula easily costs $40, and that’s for the general stuff. If your baby has special gastrointestinal issues, that price tag can easily rise by at least $10. Liquid formula is no less expensive. A single can of liquid formula will cost at least $10.
There are two conditions to feeding a newborn. The first is that newborns have to drink at least 28-32 ounces of formula a day. The second is that you have to discard a bottle of formula sixty minutes after the baby starts drinking it. You run the real risk of making the newborn ill with the buildup of bacteria from the baby’s mouth if you don’t do that.
Diapers Are Expensive as Well
It’s unwise to think that cloth diapers are economical because you can reuse them. You often have to use a special and expensive laundry detergent to clean them. You also have to wash them for much longer to make them sterile. Disposable diapers are more convenient, but they put stress on the environment. They also cost about $40 for a pack of 30 diapers. Keep in mind that you will have to change a newborn’s diaper at least once every hour.
Then there are wet wipes and diaper rash creams. These are also pricey. When you factor in other expenses like baby clothes, baby food, toys, and child care, it’s easy to see how the price tag for kids adds up quickly.
It Only Gets Costlier as Kids Get Older
While you don’t have to send your kids to preschool, many people strongly recommend it. If you don’t qualify for government-subsidized Headstart programs or financial aid, a decent preschool program can cost at least $1,000 a month. That’s money that many young couples who are beginning their careers just don’t have.
You can save money on schooling when your kid turns 5 or six by sending him or her to public school. But then there are extracurricular activities in which most parents put their kids in like music lessons, art clubs, drama clubs, Taekwondo, etc…Those programs cost at least a few hundred dollars a month. Then, there is college. You may be able to save money by getting scholarships and having your kid go to an in-state public school. But, there’s no getting around the fact that college is expensive.
Maybe that’s why the cost of raising one kid from birth to age 18 is now $240,000 – a 20% increase from just 8 years ago (2016!)
Family Finances Play a Big Role in More Gen Zers Choosing the Childfree Life
MassMutual’s survey done in July of 2024 found that 510 or 51% of the 1,000 adults polled have big concerns about money. They are scared that they won’t be able to adequately support their kids. About 40% of parents with minors said that having kids dramatically drained their wealth and put tremendous strain on their personal finances.
Parents may get some help from the American government when it comes to childcare. The average daycare costs at least $200 a month and that’s if you’re lucky and happen to find someone who runs a day care center through their home. But most parents spend several hundred to a few thousand dollars on daycare each month. MassMutual found that parents spent an average of $700 a month on daycare.
Trump has proposed a $5,000 tax credit for each child under age 18. However, whether or not he implements that into law is another issue.
There is No Paid Maternal Leave
Some young mothers are lucky and get up to a year of paid maternal leave, but that’s very rare. It’s pretty rare to get even six months of paid maternal leave from an employer. Most mothers are lucky if they get 6-8 weeks of maternal leave (not paid.) Some employers have even been known to fire pregnant women (though that’s illegal.)
Many families can’t afford to have one parent not working for long. The traditional stay-at-home mom is more of a luxury now.
Some Gen Zers Just Don’t Like Kids
Many Gen Zers aren’t having kids and it’s not because kids are too expensive. It’s because they just don’t want to be parents. Some are choosing not to have kids because they feel that there is no need to bring more people into an already environmentally strained and overpopulated world. The proof of that is borne out in the 15% drop in unplanned pregnancies from 2010 and 2019.
That means that more and more young people have access to and are using some form of birth control. Parenting is also much more demanding than in the past with the expectations being much higher. People have access to social media platforms and many parents put pictures and videos of their ‘perfect kids’ which often go viral.
These have raised expectations for parents leading more and more young people to decide that they just don’t ‘have what it takes to be a parent.’ That often leads to them deciding to never have kids. They would rather spend their money traveling and other luxurious experiences.
Gen Zers are Normalizing the Childfree Model
Women have been expected to marry and become mothers immediately afterwards since the founding of America. However, Gen Zers are increasingly saying that it’s okay to not want or have kids. So far, they appear to be doing just fine and so does the American economy.
