Why are white people all around the world not having kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: And we don't need kids to work the farm or take care of us in our old age.

Yeah, we'll see about that. Don't count on it would be my advice.

Most likely the old-age care system will be broken (in the financial and every other sense) by the time the stinking boomers get through with it.

Those of us with kids at least have a backup long-term care solution in place.

No- immigrants children and other less educated lower SES people will be taking care of them in their old age.

Those of you with that plan need to visit an assisted living facility. The "care" provided by immigrant staff - many of whom don't even speak English - is horrendous. I wouldn't leave a dog in one of those places, let alone a beloved parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well I know plenty of 30-31 year olds who had a child. Myself included. Now that was 6 years ago so maybe it's true that there are less 30 yr olds with kids now in this area...
One couple stayed in DC. The rest live in surrounding suburbs.

It is definitely different now. I know 6 years doesn't seem like a lot, but the huge increases in college tuition during that time and graduating into the Great Recession make a WORLD of difference.

[Anonymous]

People choose to stay child free, but that is the exception and not the norm. Of all the couples I know, only 1 is child free by choice. It's not a selfish choice at all, and people choose to stay child free for all kinds of reasons- not just financial. For some it's health reasons. But whatever the reason, people may be having fewer children but being totally child free is still the exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting discussion. I don't know very many married white affluent women with no kids. And I knew a few white affluent never married women who decided to parent on their own. I know lots and lots and lots of black educated and professional women with no kids, mostly because they aren't partnered. I am black, educated and professional but divorced and when I was married we had to go the IVF/ICSI route for kids because of my husband's health issues. Didn't work. The idea that I might be stereotyped as the single black welfare mom has been hard for me to shake so I haven't opted to go it alone. Plus -- and more importantly -- my parents were married when they had me and my parents' parents were married when they had children and my great grandparents were married when they had children and I think children need two parents.

I think it's sad that you are willing to let perceptions of your family structure rob you of becoming a mom. Ten/twenty years from now, you're going to regret giving a darn what people think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does it surprise you OP? Women don't want to be controlled by men, the government, their kids. They want freedom to have a job, go on a trip on a whim, whatever else. Men get to have it all...if they have a kid it doesn't kill their career. Women can try it all but something has to give. Mick Jagger said it best in one of his songs...

"women are the ___ers of the world.

I thought that was John Lennon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not white people. It's rich people- children are incredibly expensive in the rich world with a huge opportunity cost.

Especially this.

Affluent women in the richest countries have absolute control over their fertility now, and no career choices are closed to them. Why get bogged down having a bunch of babies and then permanently side-tracking a promising career, when you don't need to?

Also? Parenting is frequently a drag and "we" are finally being honest about this dirty little secret. Ask your (white) grandmother in 1952 if being a Mom is all that, and you're sure to get a rosy, scripted response that "children are a blessing" blah blah. Ask me and my close friends and we'll give it to you straight: there are some indescribable upsides and a whole lot of serious and lifelong negative consequences to becoming a Mom.

Repeated quality of life surveys in the US reaffirm that "spending time parenting" and "having kids" are the very top negative events for most people -- worse than divorce, losing a job, death of certain loved ones and more.

Modern, professional women of child-bearing age are dealing with more information and many more good options than their predecessors. Who can blame them for taking a pass, as a demographic?

+100

[Anonymous]

Too much interbreeding between Caucasian only lines that is causing a weak genetic line and weaker reproduction rate. Don't worry, they say that by 2042, the minority birth rate will exceed the Caucasian birth rate. The mixed race children will strengthen that weak Caucasian genetic pool so that your sickly children will not all die out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not just a white people thing. Look at the birth rate in Japan and S. Korea.

Mexico too!

mexican tfr is above replacement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too much interbreeding between Caucasian only lines that is causing a weak genetic line and weaker reproduction rate. Don't worry, they say that by 2042, the minority birth rate will exceed the Caucasian birth rate. The mixed race children will strengthen that weak Caucasian genetic pool so that your sickly children will not all die out.

Awww, poor Gerhardt Hapsburg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Childfree by choice here. "Rich" (comparably), white, and educated.

We don't really like kids. We don't want to spend 20+ years raising them. We don't need them in our old age (and don't think it is wise to count on them), because we have $$$.

The idea of an adult, raised family is appealing, but we're not really willing to make the sacrifices it takes to get there and we find it, at best, a risky bet.

This, in a nutshell, answers your subject line question, OP. Selfishness and "me-first" is what is important today, and this is yet another way it manifests itself.

Not the PP, I have 3 kids and this kind of response to someone saying they don't want kids makes me cringe. Why is it selfish to not want kids? Who are YOU to call someone you do not know selfish for their life choices which have no impact on you? Who are YOU to impose your life choices on others? What is selfish are the people who are not fit to be parents who have kids anyway - and then you read about them in the news when they kill or hurt their children, or you see the young parents with 4+ kids walking from DC General Shelter to the corner store yelling at each other and cursing in front of the kids. Or the young mom yelling at her 2 year old to "Hurry the f*ck up" as he is halfway back crossing a busy intersection where no one who makes a turn will see him.
Good thing they listened to you and weren't "selfish".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: And we don't need kids to work the farm or take care of us in our old age.

Yeah, we'll see about that. Don't count on it would be my advice.

Most likely the old-age care system will be broken (in the financial and every other sense) by the time the stinking boomers get through with it.

Those of us with kids at least have a backup long-term care solution in place.

No- immigrants children and other less educated lower SES people will be taking care of them in their old age.

Frankly I'm grateful that you (general) have recognized that you don't want to have children and are acting accordingly. The world needs less of the "raised by caregivers to entitled spoiled uncaring parents". I'm glad my kids won't have to interact with more of that ilk. Let those of us with not just the financial, but the emotional means handle the reproduction.

I feel sorry for you. Maybe figure out the quote feature before trying to raise humans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too much interbreeding between Caucasian only lines that is causing a weak genetic line and weaker reproduction rate. Don't worry, they say that by 2042, the minority birth rate will exceed the Caucasian birth rate. The mixed race children will strengthen that weak Caucasian genetic pool so that your sickly children will not all die out.

?

The population at issue here is white people, not white rhinos, and especially not northern white rhinos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, the posters above with large HHI are are not too poor. Their priorities are not aligned with kids. Whatever. Do what you want. But stop with the "we can't afford it" crap - it just isn't true.

Daycare plus very basic child needs (diapers, formula) runs at least 25k a year. Do you really think most 30 year olds have an extra 25k laying around?

There are plenty of 30-year-olds in the DC area who have children. I haven't asked them all whether or not they have an extra $25,000 lying around, but the possibilities are 1. yes, they do, or 2. no, they don't, but are somehow managing anyway.

Now, you might not want to manage the way they're managing. And that would be perfectly ok!

But it is absurd to say, "I can't afford to have a child", when there are a lot of people who earn a lot less than you and have a child.

I am 30 and know maybe 3 people who had a child at age 30 in this area. One had incredible financial support from family (bought them a house) and the other had to move from the city to the burbs into a family-owned condo. The third couple got pregnant on accident and the child had severe needs. They had to move way out into MD and the wife had to quit her job. They are barely getting by.

Sadly this has been my experience too. Or they're living in a studio and the wife doesn't work. They were married, but baby was an oops baby.

Public preschool would be a boon.

And I know plenty of couples at 30-something who have houses in Arlington or Tysons or Burke who work, have happy babies at daycare or with family, are doing fine. Are those places BFE?

30-something is much different than already having a child at 30. Many people can afford kids by mid-late 30s. That is nothing special. Especially if the kids stay with family for free. And yes, Tysons and Burke are both BFE.

LOL oh my! I'm glad both my job and my house are in Tysons = BFE. Keep your 14th Street corridor.

I will, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too much interbreeding between Caucasian only lines that is causing a weak genetic line and weaker reproduction rate. Don't worry, they say that by 2042, the minority birth rate will exceed the Caucasian birth rate. The mixed race children will strengthen that weak Caucasian genetic pool so that your sickly children will not all die out.

Your post is borderline incoherent, but we are a mixed race childfree couple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too much interbreeding between Caucasian only lines that is causing a weak genetic line and weaker reproduction rate. Don't worry, they say that by 2042, the minority birth rate will exceed the Caucasian birth rate. The mixed race children will strengthen that weak Caucasian genetic pool so that your sickly children will not all die out.

?

The population at issue here is white people, not white rhinos, and especially not northern white rhinos.

I see your sarcasm radar has been turned off. Sorry that I forgot to include </sarcasm> at the end of my post.