The rate at which millennial women in their twenties are having children has dropped by 14% for African-American women, 11% for Caucasian women, and 26% for Hispanic-American women . This trend among millennials has cast them into the spotlight as they have made statistical history by having children at a slower rate than any previous generation on record.
For millennial women, it would seem that the white picket fence, 2.2 kids, and a dog are not on the top of their priority list. If so, then what is? Whey aren’t millennials having kids? Well, below are four reasons why.
1. Personal Growth Many scientific studies have concluded that our brains stop growth around 25 years of age. Young people in today’s society want to travel, explore the world, learn many news things in their twenties and having children would unquestionably but a halt to many of the freedoms that young people have. Traveling to Cochella with fiends on a yearly basis or backpacking through the Amazon, at the moment, definitely trumps having a baby.
2. Children are expensive With student loan debt, the cost of everything from housing to groceries, to gas, everywhere rising on a steady basis, children are a cost for millennials that just don’t add up. Many millennials are just getting started with their “adult” life and are in debt up to their ears. The thought of adding the extra expense of a child to the mix is more than unnerving. Even if a millennial is in a financial position to afford a child, they would rather opt out for now.
3. Working to make a difference Millennials want to make a difference in the world. They don’t just want to climb the already static ladder of success, they want to build their own. Working to help change the way people do X, is what millennials are built for. If they have to take off to some foreign land, spend countless hours in a lab trying to come up with new life-saving drugs, or spend time sitting in front of a computer coding the way to new technological advancements, millennials just don’t have the time for children in an already busy schedule.
4. It’s just not what they do The idea of getting married, having a career and children is somewhat of an antiquated way of looking at the world. Most millennials are doing it their way and not necessarily following in their parents footsteps. If they have kids, when they are ready, great, if not, well, to a millennial, that’s great too.
