Does Gen Z really want children or not?

[Anonymous]

My 16-year old definitely will. He always has gotten a kick out of younger kids. Laughs when they do funny stuff- is a good mentor. When he was in kindergarten he said “mom- even if I don’t get married I’m going to have a kid. Do you think I’ll be a good dad?”

We had a neighbor’s baby over for an hour and his face lit up when I asked if he wanted to hold her. He pushed her around the house in the stroller.

My 18-year old thought she was cute, smoked at her but no interest after that.

A lot of my younger colleagues, neighbors (30s) have openly said they don’t want kids. People are having less nowadays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give them a few years. When I was 21 I didn't want to get married or have kids. I changed my mind at 25. Had to finish grad school, then git married at 30, kida at 31 and 33. You change a lot in your 20s!

+1. I didn’t even want to get married when I was 21, let alone have kids. The dream was to be single forever.

+1 no desire for kids. Married at 28 and having fun, living it up.

Two months before I turned 35 I decided to give it a try. I had one at 35 and one at 37. I knew I definitely wanted a second. But- was a hard decision to get to the first for husband and I. We could have seen life either way. Of course, once first was born we couldn’t imagine life without him. But, it’s hard. Our sons (19&16) have been so easy. No major problems, straight A students, kind, self-motivated, good friend groups, etc. but being a parent not only costs a ton of $$$—it’s also so much work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give them a few years. When I was 21 I didn't want to get married or have kids. I changed my mind at 25. Had to finish grad school, then git married at 30, kida at 31 and 33. You change a lot in your 20s!

+1. I didn’t even want to get married when I was 21, let alone have kids. The dream was to be single forever.

+1 no desire for kids. Married at 28 and having fun, living it up.

Two months before I turned 35 I decided to give it a try. I had one at 35 and one at 37. I knew I definitely wanted a second. But- was a hard decision to get to the first for husband and I. We could have seen life either way. Of course, once first was born we couldn’t imagine life without him. But, it’s hard. Our sons (19&16) have been so easy. No major problems, straight A students, kind, self-motivated, good friend groups, etc. but being a parent not only costs a ton of $$$—it’s also so much work.

^ meant no desire for kids for first 8 years of our relationship. Very happy when we decided to have them.

[Anonymous]

Why have kids when you can stay single and focus more of your time on your career and your own happiness?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want my kid to have a relationship— not looking ahead to kids.

I would say a majority of the women 40 and younger in my office are childless by choice.

childfree

All your ancestors with its trials and tribulations only for a weakling to come and end the genetic lineage because you’re a snowflake

Why the narcissism? My DH and I adopted our 3 kids. He himself is an adoptee and we strongly agreed adoption only.

[Anonymous]

I've reached 60 and no kids, as I told everyone when I was 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want my kid to have a relationship— not looking ahead to kids.

I would say a majority of the women 40 and younger in my office are childless by choice.

childfree

All your ancestors with its trials and tribulations only for a weakling to come and end the genetic lineage because you’re a snowflake

We’re both of any of you infertile? If so, completely understandable. If not, disturbing option to choose others over your own flesh and blood.


Why the narcissism? My DH and I adopted our 3 kids. He himself is an adoptee and we strongly agreed adoption only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Gen Z kids say they have no interest in bringing children into a world they believe is doomed. Maybe in time they’ll change their minds, but in not going to get my hopes up for grandchildren.

+1

Hopefully society can turn it around, but as of right now my kids think the world is doomed.

Growing up with insane Trump/MAGAs running around will do that to a generation.

Only if their parents and mainstream media make them believe that's a bigger problem than it is. My Gen Z kids know better. They know that Hamas, terrorists, and Putin and the dying of our natural habitats from factory farming are the biggest threats to the planet. Not the changing dynamics of American politics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on your views and perceptions, how do you think Gen Z will handle having kids, will they have more kids or less kids? It seems like for the oldest Zoomers, they aren’t having much kids.

For sure fewer kids or no kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why have kids when you can stay single and focus more of your time on your career and your own happiness?

This is so foreign to me. I care about my career and reaching my potential, more or less, but spending more time working is not fascinating or important enough for me to not have children.

[Anonymous]

My Gen Z kids do not want kids.

[Anonymous]

Well, there is another thread claiming GenZ are all getting engaged at like 21.

Both can't really be true. People don't get engaged at 21 who don't want any kids.

[Anonymous]

Most of that age group is in middle school and high school. Millennials are late 20s to late 30s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Gen Z kids say they have no interest in bringing children into a world they believe is doomed. Maybe in time they’ll change their minds, but in not going to get my hopes up for grandchildren.

+1

Hopefully society can turn it around, but as of right now my kids think the world is doomed.

Growing up with insane Trump/MAGAs running around will do that to a generation.

Only if their parents and mainstream media make them believe that's a bigger problem than it is. My Gen Z kids know better. They know that Hamas, terrorists, and Putin and the dying of our natural habitats from factory farming are the biggest threats to the planet. Not the changing dynamics of American politics.

We used to be able to claim all the real trouble was across the world. Not anymore. It’s naive to think our democracy remains safe. And why not add Yemen to the list. the Houthis terrorists have killed more civilians than Hamas. People are dying there of famine and terrorism while children are trained as soldiers.

There are always Putins and terrorists and wars. Our democracy has never been so at risk so for Americans it’s a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Millennials will have 1.4 kids.
Zoomers 1.2 at most

There was about a 5% covid dip that has not recovered, just in 2 years

Across the world basically everywhere births are dropping 1% a year, even in surprising countries like Nigeria and Afghanistan and if South Korea is any sign of things to come, it does not ever level out, even at 1.2, 1, 0.8.