10 Reasons People Aren’t Having Babies in 2020

While this certainly traces further back than the second-wave feminism of the 1970s, the idea of women having control over their own bodies gained momentum in this era, and remains true today.

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Student debt, skyrocketing housing costs, slow wage growth and declining job security are painting a volatile future for many financially literate women. And they are not alone. One in five millennial Canadians are delaying having kids, even when they do choose to have them, due to financial worries. Introducing a child into the household mix comes with big financial costs, often including wage scarring - the idea that taking time away from work (such as during mat leave) will negatively impact wage growth potential. And for some women, this is good reason to say “no thank you.”

A casual scan of the latest news yields no shortage of alarming headlines, the world over. The idea of bringing a child into a world that is a button-push away from nuclear holocaust or a missile strike can be unnerving.

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Overpopulation and overconsumption continue to jeopardize the survivability of this planet, and concerns of ethical procreation reflect the current reality of a world half-ablaze and half-drowning. Not contributing to overpopulation is one way to respond to these concerns.

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In some cases, women who want to remain sans kids recognize they have other purpose in life, and want to make these lives meaningful in other ways - be it career, other relationships, travel or simply as a way of showing self-care (such as following trauma).

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Another reason includes having a prior caregiving role, perhaps for a sibling or parent, and possibly at a young age. So the choice to remain child-free is very much informed by this experience; knowing exactly how having a dependant affects a person’s independence.

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While an increasing number of women are veering away from motherhood, choosing not to have children is still somewhat of a taboo topic. Women are still asked to explain themselves, or worse — they are told they will change their mind when the time is right. The pressure to meet prescriptive attitudes can be daunting, and often, that’s reason enough to push back and follow an internal compass instead. Especially when you consider that seldom is this asked of men who make the same choice.

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High-profile women such as Sarah Paulson are paving the way not only for positive representation in media and film, but also when it comes to recasting traditional female roles. This frees others to follow suit.

Some women are certainly choosing to mother babies single through a variety of means, including adoption, or sperm donors. By contrast, for others, having a child isn’t a must until other pieces are in place, such as someone else to share the parenting role with (because, let’s face it, it does take a village).

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People have been purposefully foregoing having children for as long as there’ve been people. Having offspring is not the only way to contribute to society, nor do women who choose not to have biological children necessarily stay away from children. Many are wonderfully nurturing teachers, aunts, neighbours, and mentors and simply choose to channel their care in other ways.

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