> This represents a rapid acceleration of the trend, with the surplus of childless women growing from 2.1 million in 2016 to 4.7 million in 2022, and now to 5.7 million in 2024.
Did anything happen in 2016 that young women might have interpreted as a signal that they were on their own and facing hostility?
I talk about this topic with my (childless) wife quite a bit. Reasons we postulate:
The rent is too damn high
It takes longer into adulthood to achieve stability
Porn brain
Phone brain (24/7 infinite entertainment)
Dating apps are not delightful
The pandemic led some people to stay in for good
Loss of third places (rent too damn high again)
Tight job markets lead to reluctance to bring kids into the picture
Healthcare is more expensive every year
American individualism diminishes multi generational family support structures after a generation
A long tail of other causes: drugs, gun violence, obesity, losing one's religion, growing up with divorced parents
> This represents a rapid acceleration of the trend, with the surplus of childless women growing from 2.1 million in 2016 to 4.7 million in 2022, and now to 5.7 million in 2024.
Did anything happen in 2016 that young women might have interpreted as a signal that they were on their own and facing hostility?
Related:
Study Shows Number of Childless Women in the U.S. Continues to Rise - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45268830 - September 2025
A lot of money was spent to make sure that happened
We should spend as much as possible to ensure that unwanted children are avoided whenever possible. The cost to not is simply too high.
What do you mean?
Say what you actually mean: A lot of women spent money to have control over their own lives.