Whether or not you want to have children is a deeply personal decision - however, while many are still choosing to start families of their own, a growing number are making the decision to remain 'child free'.
There are any number of reasons why people might choose not to have children. Economic instability has made living more expensive while wages have stagnated, and children are not cheap to raise.
There is also the concern about the future and worrying about wanting to bring a child into a world devastated by climate change. Maybe someone simply doesn't need a child to feel fulfilled?
Advert
All these are understandable reasons to come to the conclusion that having a child is not for you. And now, one woman has added in another.
TikToker @bippityboppitybree, who goes by B on the platform, explained that the main factor for her was the disproportionate amount of work she would have to do as a mother compared to if she was a father.
She explained that dads get to be the 'cool parent', while mothers are categorised by any number of misogynist tropes like being overly smothering or nagging.
Advert
And also, just having to do a lot more work.
Captioning the video 'cool aunt and stepmom vibes only', B said: "People have always asked me, do you have kids? And I always say, Absolutely not. I am a child still.
"But they love asking me if I have kids. And I say, No, I will not be having kids. And would you like to know why?
Advert
"And they say, of course. And I say I would love, love, love to be a parent. I would love to be a dad. I don't get that choice.
"I would have to be a mother. And there's no way in hell I would ever want to be a mother."
She added: "I don't want the responsibility of being a mother. I want to be the cool parent I want to have as little responsibility as possible, and mothers don't get that."
One of the most reported reasons that millennials in particular are choosing not to have children is the lack of financial stability.
Stagnating wages, an increasing cost of living, healthcare, job insecurity and an increasingly unstable housing market make having children difficult even for millennials who may want to start a family.
Advert
Putting off having children didn't begin with millennials either, with more people choosing to delay having children since 1941.
As for millennials and Gen Z, economic stagnation and the precarity it brings is certainly an environment which will put people off starting or perhaps cause them to have fewer children.
But at the end of the day, deciding to have a child is a person's own choice and nobody else should have a say in whether or not they decide to start a family!
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@bippityboppitybree