There’s been much hand-wringing over birthrates in recent years. And, depending on where you grew up, you might even be told you’re selfish for not wanting to have children. Or mutliple chilren. In this episode, we’re going to look at the financial realities of having children and explore our society’s obsession with popping out babies—even if we don’t prioritize actually caring for them once they’re in the world.
Topics covered in this episode on choosing whether to have children
Having kids is expensive. From birth to age 18 and beyond, you’ll spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on having a kid.
Millennials and Gen Z aren’t sure that they can afford to have children.
Our society, despite giving lip service to the concept of having children, doesn’t actually support them. There aren’t robust community and societal supports.
Families know they’re largely on their own when it comes to the costs of raising kids, and we’re in the top three OECD countries for child poverty rates.
Investing in children offers high economic ROI, but in the U.S., we don’t do it.
We talk about the dismal lack of support for children and families in our states of Idaho and Florida.
We tackle the fact that’s ok to just not want kids—even if you can afford them.
Gen Z’s reasons for not wanting kids include climate collapse, physical danger to pregnant women, lifestyle, and the labor involved.
It’s not selfish to avoid having kids. In fact, if you’re not ready or don’t want them, it’s the unselfish choice to not bring kids into the world.
You can also change your mind. Sarah talks about how she changed her mind about not wanting kids and now has a son.
If you like kids but don’t want them yourself, we talk about ways to care for others’ children.
Finally, it’s fine just not to be interested. We talk about the Western obsession with children and its roots in white supremacy.
Sources used for this episode on buy vs. rent
The Institute for Family Studies uses USDA data to calculate that it costs more than $200,000 to raise a child to 18. The cost of the birth itself ranges from almost $11,000 to more than $20,000, and your out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance.
Millennials say having children is too expensive, and Gen Z also includes cost as one reason they’re reluctant. They also cite impending climate collapse, labor, and other reasons to avoid having children. Pew Research information on a declining desire to have children.
Data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on how direct support to families reduces child poverty. The National Bureau of Economic Research shares the economic ROI of investing in programs that benefit children.
The Journal of Economic Perspectives examines our safety net and finds that the U.S. ranks third among developed (OECD) nations for child poverty.
Pew Research and Justworks share information about the U.S. and parental leave (including maternal).
Information from the World Economic Forum and the White House on affordable and accessible child care.
Our stats for Idaho:
Hunger in Idaho from the Idaho Foodbank
Our stats for Florida:
Maternal mortality on the rise, reports from Yale Medicine and The Commonwealth Fund
Pregnant women in Idaho are encouraged to get extra coverage to be life flighted out, as well as a study showing the loss of OB-GYNs
Johns Hopkins reports on how the Texas abortion ban has INCREASED infant mortality
Items from Politico, NPR, and the American Sociological Review about natalism and white supremacy
Our financial resource
If you need help finding financial help as you raise children, check out ChildCare.gov, which offers information on assistance programs that might be available if you qualify. Also check out our friend Brynne’s site, Femme Frugality, which includes a lot of resources for parents of special needs children.
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