Key points
In recent years, a growing number of adults are choosing to remain child-free.
While this decision was once stigmatized, it is now gaining wider acceptance and understanding.
The shift reflects changing societal ideas about personal fulfillment and social roles.
I recently spent time in a group of millennial and Gen X colleagues, and the conversation inevitably shifted to children and families. I was shocked to find that more than half of us had chosen to remain child-free.
Growing up, whenever I said I didn’t want children, I’d get sideways glances or hear the familiar line: “You’ll change your mind when you get older.” (Spoiler: I haven’t.)
In recent years, I find that I am not alone. In fact, a growing number of adults are choosing to remain child-free—a decision that