Survey results that one in five Americans 'do not intend to make children', decisions in their teens and 20s remain unchanged even in their 40s



Since the birth of a child is a major life event, it has great significance in the life planning of women who experience pregnancy and childbirth. According to a survey conducted in Michigan, where demographics are almost the same as the rest of the United States, more than 20% of adults have decided not to have children in the future, and decisions made at a young age will continue to waver as they get older. I found out that there is nothing.

Prevalence, age of decision, and interpersonal warmth judgments of childfree adults | Scientific Reports

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-15728-z

More than 1 in 5 US adults don't want children
https://theconversation.com/more-than-1-in-5-us-adults-dont-want-children-187236

More Adults Are Choosing to Live Childfree And They Probably Won't Change Their Minds : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/more-adults-are-choosing-to-live-child-free-and-no-they-probably-won-t-change-their-minds

According to Michigan State University psychologists Zachary P. Neal and Jennifer Watling Neal, more and more Americans are never having children for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, those who do not have children often experience stigma and negative stereotypes in society, such as being marginalized in work-life balance discussions and having limited access to healthcare.



To better understand '

child-free ' people who do not want children, Neil and colleagues conducted a survey of 1,500 adults in Michigan.

In the survey, participants were asked three questions: ``Do you have or have had children?'' ``Do you plan to have children in the future?'' ``Would you like to have children?'' Child-free was defined as those who answered “no” to all. Children include biological children, adopted children, and stepchildren.

The results of the survey are as follows. The proportion of 'Childfree' was 21.64%, which was more than one-fifth of the total, which was the second highest after 49.62% of 'Parents' with children. In addition, 9.58% of respondents are “Not yet parent” who plan to have children in the future, 5.72% are “Childless” who wished to have children but could not, and 9.9% were “Undecided” who have not decided whether to have children. 3.55% were 'Ambivalent', meaning they don't care whether or not they have children.



The 22% result is much higher than previous estimates of 2.2-9%. 22% of participants did not want children, which translates to 1.7 million child-free people in Michigan. Also, since Michigan people are close to the average age, racial ratio, educational background, and income of the entire United States, if we apply this result to the entire United States, 50 million to 60 million Americans want children. It seems that there will be no.

The study also asked when they decided not to have children. As a result, 34.04% of those who decided in their teens were the most, 31.84% who decided in their 20s, and 3.6% who decided by the time they were 10 years old. I found out that I chose a child-free way of life before I became a child.



According to the research team, even if people without children, especially women, want sterilization surgery , there are many cases where the doctor refuses the surgery, saying, ``I'm sure I'll change my mind.'' However, women who decided not to have children in their teens and 20s did not change their minds even in their 40s on average, so the research team said, ``I may change my mind later. concerns are misinformation and paternalism.' Mr. Neil tweeted on Twitter, 'They won't change their minds.'



In addition, after the Roe v. Wade decision , which recognized the right of women to have abortions, was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, Watling Neal said, ``Many Americans do not want children, but they do not want children. They are at risk of being forced to have children, and if further rulings reduce the availability of contraceptives, many young women who decide to be child-free may find contraception difficult. No,' he complained.

in Note, Posted by log1l_ks