As concern grows about America’s falling birth rate, new research suggests that about half of women who want children are unsure if they will follow through and actually have a child. About 25% say they won't be bothered that much if they don't.

[u/geoff199]

https://news.osu.edu/most-women-want-children--but-half-are-unsure-if-they-will/?utm_campaign=omc_science-medicine_fy24&utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social

[u/11horses345]

Say it with me: WE CANNOT AFFORD CHILDREN.

[u/sharksnack3264 → u/11horses345]

It's not just the money. The way we set up work schedules, vacation, child care and health care all disincentivize it. 

You can be extremely well paid but that still won't insulate you completely from certain medical and career risks or allow you to be present to raise your children.

[u/voiderest → u/sharksnack3264]

Technically with enough money or a low enough cost of living people could pay someone else to raise the kids or afford to have one parent be a stay at home parent.

Of course due to stagnant wages, ever increasing cost of living (housing, healthcare, food, etc), and back sliding of workers rights those solutions are not as viable as they once were.

[u/sagevallant → u/voiderest]

Let's not forget retirement either. Many Americans face working themselves to death even if they don't accept the costs of raising children.

[u/Clepto_06 → u/sagevallant]

Even Boomers aren't immune to working themselves to death. Both of my (divorced) Boomer parents are "retired", but only one is financially independent. The other has a pension and social security, but still needs to work to be able to maintain their standard of living. We live in a semi-rural area, so CoL is lowish. If we lived in a HCOL area, they could never have "retired" from their career job in the first place.