Why Are Fewer Americans Having Children?

Lately, I have been thinking more about children.

Part of that is simply age. My husband and I are reaching a point where, if we want biological children of our own, we probably should not wait forever.

The interesting thing is that neither of us feels strongly one way or the other.

We can picture the act of raising a child. We can imagine helping with homework, teaching them new things, and doing our best to be good parents.

What is harder to imagine is the world they would grow up in.

Society feels like it changes faster every year. Technology advances at a dizzying pace. Jobs appear and disappear. Housing grows more expensive. Even the way people connect with one another seems different than it was a decade ago.

Will a child born today be able to thrive? Will they be happy? Will they be able to build a stable life for themselves?

Sometimes those questions feel impossible to answer.

Even with all those uncertainties, I thought of having children mostly as a choice.

My mom had five children, so I naturally assumed fertility would not be something I needed to think about. The question was always whether I wanted children, not whether I could have them.

What caught my attention about this study is that it challenges that assumption.

This research suggests those questions may not be as separate as they seem. Sometimes the choice to have children and the ability to have children can pull in different directions.

What Researchers Found

Using national survey data, researchers compared women across different generations.

Millennials and Gen X women were less likely to have children than women from earlier generations at the same age.

Surprisingly, many were just as likely, and sometimes even more likely, to say they wanted children.

What differed was how often they reported difficulty becoming pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term.

Gen Z showed a somewhat different pattern. Compared with earlier generations, they were both less likely to want children and more likely to report fertility related challenges.

The results suggested two things were happening at once. Some people wanted children less than previous generations. Others still wanted them but faced greater challenges having them.

What It Probably Means

Conversations about declining birth rates often focus on changing values.

Careers. Education. Travel. Different ideas about what a fulfilling life should look like.

This study suggests that explanation may only tell part of the story.

For many Millennials and Gen X adults, the gap was not between wanting children and not wanting them.

It was between wanting children and being able to have them.

That does not mean biology is the only factor. Housing costs, childcare expenses, delayed family formation, workplace pressures, and other challenges may also play important roles.

What this research highlights is a distinction that often gets lost in public debate.

Wanting something and being able to achieve it are not always the same thing.

Things Worth Keeping in Mind

• ✦This study found patterns, not direct causes.
• ✦It cannot explain why fertility related challenges may have increased.
• ✦People's intentions about having children can change over time.
• ✦The paper is a working paper and has not yet been peer reviewed.
• ✦Other factors, such as economics and social changes, were not directly tested.

The Takeaway

The decline in American birth rates may be more complex than many headlines suggest.

For many Millennials and Gen X adults, the story was not simply about wanting fewer children. Many reported wanting children at rates similar to earlier generations while also facing more challenges having them.

The findings suggest that discussions about birth rates should consider not only what people want, but also the barriers they may face along the way.