Column by Jack Ryan
When people complain that America is changing too rapidly, it’s best to keep in mind that some of this change is intentional, particularly when it comes to having babies.
A new survey of 3,800 childless adults reports that a growing number of them said it’s unlikely they’ll ever have children. Conversely, a smaller number of childless adults said its very likely they will have kids one day.
The Pew Research Center, which last surveyed this topic in 2018, also noted that in both polls, more than half of respondents who were unlikely to have children said it’s because they just don’t want them.
Other reasons for not becoming a parent included medical issues, economic concerns or the lack of a suitable partner.
All this polling corresponds with statistics that have recorded a sustained declined in the American birthrate. It’s not a big issue today, but if it continues, it will be in 20 or 30 years. There would be fewer workers to keep the U.S. economy growing, and fewer taxpayers to contribute to retirement programs like Social Security and Medicare.
Reading stories about this topic makes it sound like having children is falling out of favor. Let’s acknowledge the truth: Being a parent is hard, time-consuming work that is guaranteed to humble any adult. But the payoff for a job well done is immensely gratifying.
To put statistics to the problem, every 20 American women need to have 21 children during their lifetimes just to keep the population stable. (This“replacement rate” is 21 children, not 20, because one may die.) But as of 2018, the birthrate was just 17 children per 20 women. It has declined for six straight years, and it may be headed lower.
A country that’s not growing is in trouble over the long run. So policymakers who want to encourage Americans to have more children should first look at the reasons they’re not — and see if any minds can be changed.
There’s not much to do about people who don’t want to be parents. That’s their choice, and nobody should be criticized for making that decision.
Skepticism about parenthood among those who believe medical issues will keep them from having children may be warranted, although science is making great strides in this area.
But the other two reasons are economic concerns and the lack of a suitable partner — and something can be done about those.
It’s expensive to raise a family, starting with child care, food and education. The country needs more creative ideas on how to cope with these costs — instead of having government simply pay for them, which is unaffordable.
As for that elusive suitable partner, the free market is at work on that. Those who have not met someone who interests them have all sorts of options available. There are plenty of dating websites — along with the time-tested methods of being introduced by a mutual friend or simply meeting by chance.
The irony is that our society has never been more “connected” than it is today. But when it comes to children, there is a clear disconnection — one that needs prompt attention.
