As climate change worsens, inflation rises and politics grows more tumultuous, it’s no wonder Generation Z is more hesitant than other generations to have children.
“I feel like it’s a money thing — like, college is really expensive. My parents are struggling with FAFSA right now with just one kid,” senior Martina Diaz* (she/her) said. “It does stress me out that I’d probably have to start saving in college for my children.”
Although sophomore Anouk Balog (she/her) wants kids, she thinks money is the primary reason that a lot of Gen Z does not want kids. She wants to wait until she’s older and knows her financial situation before she decides to have kids.
“Another thing that has recently become a problem for me that I was wondering about is how the world will be like in the future with climate change, with political stability and all of these other factors that right now might not play a role, but in the future, it may be something that I could consider before putting another being into this world,” Balog said.
Balog said she’s also concerned about parenting. She said many high school students complain about how their parents raise them, and that if she were a parent, she would make sure to establish good communication with her child.
“It’s also a very scary factor about parenthood because you, as a parent, have to be aware of how you’re impacting your child,” Balog said.
Balog said that many of her friends who work very hard and are very successful complain about how their parents push them to maintain perfect grades, leading to burnout.
“I want there to be a balance. I do think education is important, but I also feel like kids should have their own independence, unless they’re falling into a bad path,” Balog said. “But I don’t want to be their guide in life. I want to give them the idea, but I think in the end, it’s up to them on how they want to navigate their life.”
Aside from financial and external problems, Gen Z’s lack of interest in having kids is also due to wanting more time for themselves to explore other lifestyles instead of starting a family. The DINK lifestyle, meaning “double-income, no kids,” is growing in popularity among young adults. The term originated in the ‘80s but has gotten popular again in recent years, with the “DINKs” hashtag on TikTok having over 33 million views. Diaz pointed out a similar trend among her peers.
“I feel like something that I’ve noticed is wanting more of a freedom of lifestyle. People who don’t want kids — they kind of want to have more options than just being a parent,” Diaz said. “And I feel like that’s also really common with girls, because being forced into that role of motherhood for so many centuries has been confining.”
Balog said that times have changed, and people have more options about how they want to live their lives.
“I know, for especially older generation families or first [generation] families here in America, it was always seen as a good thing to have kids in other countries,” Balog said. “And now, as things are changing, some people choose not to have kids, but maybe to the older generation that can be seen as bad.”
On the other hand, junior Hadley Prentice (she/her) said she doesn’t feel any pressure to start a family — both she and her parents know that she does not want children. She said something to consider is potentially passing on health concerns to a child. Prentice added that pregnancy was another factor deterring her from having kids.
“I cannot see myself pregnant. I would laugh at myself every single day,” Prentice said.
Prentice said that if she were to ever change her mind about having children, she would likely lean towards adoption as an alternative to giving birth.
Balog, reflecting on the differences between her generation and older generations, said that now there’s more freedom of choice.
“Being aware and even having the choice to not have kids based off of how you felt is really prominent among Gen Z, compared to the older generation,” Balog said. “I guess these things are more open now, and you have the choice to decide whether or not you want kids.”
*Name changed for anonymity
