'Childfree' movement: forget baby boom, people just don’t want kids anymore

A growing number of American adults, who aren’t already parents, see no point in making more humans, finds a new survey.

Around 44 per cent of non-parents aged 18 to 49 say it’s not too likely, or not at all likely for them to ever have children as per the Pew Research Centre report. This is an increase of 7 per cent in the same group that was also surveyed in 2018.

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Factors like apathy, financial instability, medical problems and the world feeling too ‘bleak’ were the top reasons for their choice to abstain from parenthood.

Notably, Americans are not alone in this sentiment. In a recent survey, around 41 per cent of young Indians also expressed hesitance in having their own children, due to the diminishing state of the planet.

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The movement to be 'childfree'

The ‘childfree’ movement has also gained momentum on social media where more couples and, especially women who have chosen to not have kids are amplifying conversations about personal freedom.

While the childfree phenomenon isn't new, the pandemic may have brought more people into its fold. The outbreak has given people more time to rethink and reset their priorities. It also highlighted shortcomings of the healthcare system and magnified economic insecurities.

In fact, a new study confirms that for most high-income countries, the expected pandemic baby boom was actually a bust. Appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, the research found that 7 of the 22 rich economies studied saw a statistically significant birth decline in the final months of 2020.

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Even in India where a pandemic baby boom was predicted by the UN, the National Family Health Survey data for 2019-21 shows that India's population has stagnated as the nation's total fertility rate has dropped for the first time.