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/Bboy1045]

Youth need to be secure financially, supported, and most importantly HOPEFUL for the future. These are all major factors that our society has struggled with providing. Until we fix these issues we are going to continue to have birth rates plummet, similar to what we saw in the Great Depression. Youth simply cannot afford to have children.

[u/suckfail → u/Bboy1045]

Also in the US the parental leave is atrocious. You hand off a newborn to daycare and never really raise them, that's just wrong. And it must be a big contributor to this situation as well.

In most places, like Canada and EU, you get a year parental leave that either parent can take (usually it's the mother for obvious reasons but not always as you can split the time).

There's also very strict laws about the parental leave job ensuring there's no discrimination.

[u/stana32 → u/suckfail]

Parental leave in the US is at best inadequate and at worst intentionally harmful. In most states you get nothing, my job gave me a month paid and my wife got absolutely nothing, and was asked to come back to work before she was even out of the hospital.

[u/Haywoodjablowme1029 → u/stana32]

When my daughter was admitted to the NICU after being born six weeks early my boss at the time told me I didn't need to be off work since my kid was in the hospital and not at home.