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That desired lifestyle does not necessarily include children.
This is not unique to the US.
When they say finances are the reason why they don't have children, what that means is that they are saying that IF they had money they WOULD have children.
So they are NOT planning financially for the desired lifestyle.
They don't want to sacrifice anything to have kids. Some of them won't even move out of their parents house. How are they supposed to be proper parents if they still live like children.
It's fine not to want children because you don't like them, but don't whine about not being able to have them if you are not willing to make sacrifices to accommodate parenthood. It's impossible to try reasoning because there is a wall of denial when they are advised to move or budget or even to commute to work from a suburb. If walking to the market and Starbucks in an upscale neighborhood is more important than having kids to love and nurture, then that is the choice.
Going back to the 50's most women lacked education and careers, thus nothing to " give-up.
More men were veterans with GI benefits for housing and education.
Huge families were raised in housing nearly half the size it is today. The masses did not live in air-conditioned comfort. Kids shared bedrooms. 1-1.5 baths was the norm.
Dining out/ordering- in was a rare event.
Vacations were uncommon.
One landline per household was common and many of the landlines were shared.
Families typically had one car. Even fewer cars in urban areas. The cost to fuel and insure it and liability was an afterthought.
People did not have the stuff they tend to have today.
Unions bargained on behalf of workers for wages, benefits and pensions.
Offices were stuffed with support people who performed a variety of functions that technology substitution made obsolete.
Treatments and cures for disease that exist today did not, back when.
75% of the adult population was not overweight/obese.
Not that long ago....
European and Japanese manufacturing economies were also decimated after the second world war, making the US, for a short period, the defacto manufacturing power. China also was still pretty agrarian.
The mid-20th century was a unique time.
It's interesting when people talk about how the world "should" be, and they use this narrow window of time as the example. When it is really not reflective of any long-term reality.
We're not the only kid on the block anymore. The Internet exists. You have to compete against the entire world now. That's just reality.
Suspect many are unable to articulate their choice to not have children. Climate change is as good a reason as any, I guess.
Fertility rates have been steadily declining in all developed countries.
Most polls are. I find that reason immensely lame which was my point. Though I really don't care why people are choosing not to have kids. I would rather they make that choice than have kids they don't really want because society expects it.
They don't want to sacrifice anything to have kids. Some of them won't even move out of their parents house. How are they supposed to be proper parents if they still live like children.
It's fine not to want children because you don't like them, but don't whine about not being able to have them if you are not willing to make sacrifices to accommodate parenthood. It's impossible to try reasoning because there is a wall of denial when they are advised to move or budget or even to commute to work from a suburb. If walking to the market and Starbucks in an upscale neighborhood is more important than having kids to love and nurture, then that is the choice.
Goodness... So many ridiculous (and outdated) stereotypes in one post.
Do you know a significant amount of millennials? Like actually know them?
They don't want to sacrifice anything to have kids. Some of them won't even move out of their parents house. How are they supposed to be proper parents if they still live like children.
It's fine not to want children because you don't like them, but don't whine about not being able to have them if you are not willing to make sacrifices to accommodate parenthood. It's impossible to try reasoning because there is a wall of denial when they are advised to move or budget or even to commute to work from a suburb. If walking to the market and Starbucks in an upscale neighborhood is more important than having kids to love and nurture, then that is the choice.
The only ones whining are the ones on this thread scoffing & making outlandish claims about people who choose not to have kids. Mind your own business.
The gist of the article is Americans aren't having children because they don't have the money for them. If you look at the list, the majority of reasons have to do with the financial aspects. It's sad that in a country as wealthy as the US, adults can't afford to reproduce. There is no subsidized childcare, no family leave benefits, and no universal healthcare. When women take time off work to raise their babies, their earning power suffers long term. Or if they stay home, they aren't bringing in money, so finances are strained when families need money the most. Or they can't afford the daycare option if they work. It's a no-win situation.
Yet the countries with the largest safety nets and strong social welfare have lower fertility rates.
The poorest countries, without safety nets and social welfare, have the highest global fertility rates.
The size of the family is perhaps the only source of accomplishment they have.
Somehow I managed to get married, have a bunch of kids, and be financially solvent as a millennial.
It’s doable, but it does require planning and making choices. There are trade offs to every lifestyle. We managed to do it on a single income in a very expensive state, too, but that was because we prioritized family and that particular lifestyle. My brother and sister in law have no kids and high incomes, but it’s not because they couldn’t have children - they just don’t want them. It’s a different set of choices.
But yeah, kids don’t automatically mean parental poverty at all. I get how expensive and difficult it is for my generation, but it is far from impossible to swing without government help.
Once again you are wrong. They don't want to charge taxpayers for their own kids, a very selfless reason.
That's not selfless. If your reason for not wanting something is because you don't want other people to pay for it you are not using logic. If I want something, I figure out how I pay for it. I don;t charge other people for my decisions.or use that as an excuse to not do something. It's ridiculous.
Does that mean people should not be concerned about safety? No.
Of course not. But it's not an issue. And should have no bearing on having kids. Or doing other things.
Climate change has increased the rate of natural disasters exponentially. Climate change is caused by us, and the fact that there are too many usses in the world already. But I'm sure you don't believe in that.
Natural disasters are a part of life. Get over it. Seriously. I live in hurricane country. I deal with it.
Does that mean we don't deserve health insurance? Apparently Republicans don't think we do. So how do we care for our kids' health problems? They have accidents and illnesses too. Healthcare is not cheap.
No one *deserves* anything. Including ME. My health is my responsibility, no one elses, and I don't blame others for it. I've had insurance, I've not had insurance.
You know what the topic of this thread is, right? The fact that millenials are far more financially insecure than the generations before them. And unless public policy changes, it will only get worse, not better.
No. They will be financially secure when they select an education that will prepare them for a career that will support them. If they don;t do that, they have no one to blame but themselves.
Really? Every married couple knows they will get divorced before they walk down the aisle? Just ask Melania Trump if she knew her husband would be a serial cheater and the entire world would know about it. I'm sure she would have thought twice before marriage.
I don't know her and can't comment. You've talked to her? Good on you.
Think for just one minute. When a person (or couple) is on a tight budget in the first place, they are in more trouble when they lose a job than when they are more financially secure. That's pretty obvious.
And its obvious this is nothing new.
They are grown up. That's why they aren't having kids they can't afford.
No. They are not planning for anything. That's avoidance, not maturity.
Once again I'm stating the obvious, but if these so called selfish adults aren't having babies they can't afford, they aren't asking others to pay for them are they? By all means OP, tell us the magic formula that will allow millennials to afford these things. I would love to know the secret. Because expenses have gone up and not incomes.
College is no longer the ticket to a good job, never mind high school. So instead of sitting at your computer judging millennials for not having children they can't afford, tell us what career they can choose that will allow them to pay their expenses without going into boatloads of debt. And I'd love to know your secret to a lasting marriage. Because I'm sure you've never been divorced either.
And YES college is, for most, a complete waste of money. They go into thousands of dollars in debt for NOTHING. That is why I've posted, multiple times, that these kids need to get a CLUE and investigate career options that have a better payout and will benefit them for their life.
Your entire post stinks of fear. OMG safety!!! Violence!! Weather!!! Sickness!!! Student Loans!!!!!!!
Seriously, you are very afraid, very pessimistic and completely unwilling to assess and act. There are solutions.
You just don't want them. Your solution? Be afraid, complain and do nothing. rant on public forum at someone who is not criticizing, but offering a perspective you don't like because it involves assessing reality at level beyond your comfort zone. No one EVER has to go into student debt that they cannot afford.
Somehow I managed to get married, have a bunch of kids, and be financially solvent as a millennial.
It’s doable, but it does require planning and making choices. There are trade offs to every lifestyle. We managed to do it on a single income in a very expensive state, too, but that was because we prioritized family and that particular lifestyle. My brother and sister in law have no kids and high incomes, but it’s not because they couldn’t have children - they just don’t want them. It’s a different set of choices.
But yeah, kids don’t automatically mean parental poverty at all. I get how expensive and difficult it is for my generation, but it is far from impossible to swing without government help.
Brilliant.
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By all means OP, tell us the magic formula that will allow millennials to afford these things. I would love to know the secret. Because expenses have gone up and not incomes. 
