The main reasons sited by childless couples for remaining so in many cases are due to economic and social factors.
More and more young professional couples are choosing to remain childless
According to biblical principles we are told to go forth and multiply. However, more and more couples married or cohabiting choose not to have children for a variety of reasons. Although not exclusively, this is especially true of professional couples pursuing careers which leaves little room for nurturing offsprings.
Research has indicated that couples arrive at this decision for a combination of economic, social and emotional factors. Most professionals who undertake higher education leave colleges and universities in their early twenties after which their prime goal is to find employment and set themselves onto a career path. This takes time effort and focused energy. No time for marriage and certainly no time for children.
Approaching their mid-twenties the career path has been chosen and marriage now becomes an option. After marriage both parties are focused on climbing the cooperate ladder, again many couples decide that there is still no time for children. This is particularly true in the case of ambitious career women, because any interruption could put paid to their ambitions of moving up the cooperate ladder, so again the decision to have children is often shelved.
The lack of money play a huge role in the decisions made by couples to remain childless. In most households it is necessary for both parties to be income earners and child care, which is extremely expensive can eat huge holes in the household budget. Grandparents who used to play an important part in the rearing of their grandchild are all but a thing of the past, exacerbated by geographic mobility in the couple’s quest to find work and build careers.
Another common reason given for remaining childless is the perception that their child-rearing skills and abilities may not be what are required to make a good job of bringing up children. In many cases couples marry and children come along. This often takes place in the absence of any real and meaningful decisions about what is involved. However, more and more couples are considering all their options with many coming to the conclusion that children would put additional stress on the relationship, leave less time for each other, savage their disposable income and increase their responsibilities. All of these are considered unwanted pressures, sited by them as pivotal in the break up of many of today’s marriages and partnerships.
Childless couples seem to truly value their freedom, independence and higher standard of living. It affords them an abundance of time to indulge in their own personal passions and interests, both inside and outside of the home with little need to consider the needs of children if they were parents. To many, especially those who have parented children and enjoyed the rewards, this may all sound extremely selfish. However, if we believe that parenting is a choice, then we must also be appreciative of the fact that choosing not to have children is also a choice deserving equal respect.
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