What does it mean that there are suddenly not enough babies?

Do you remember back in 2020 when the philosophers of the world all predicted the outcome of the pandemic to be one of two things? Either an influx of couples were going to get divorced or a baby boom would take shape in society. Why was this going to happen? Well, because we were all stuck inside with our spouse, and only two things can come from that. You figure out the rest.

There had not really been a massive baby boom in America since, well, the Baby Boomer generation of post-World War II life. However, in a time where there could have been another boom of a generation being brought into this world, many millennials and even older Gen Z’s are dialing that idea back a bit. We’re on the verge of a milestone, as the fertility rate is set to drop below the point where keeping the population constant becomes worrisome.

Let’s start with millennials. They’re the ones who are always getting a finger pointed at them in terms of all the world’s problems, anyway ⏤ a generation that grew up being told they could be whatever they wanted when they were kids. That twinkle in their eye and determination in their chest never faded, even when they watched 3,000 people die on national television one horrific September morning. They went to school during a recession, got out of college when the economy was starting to go on the mend, and then right as things got back into shape and they had reached the light at the end of the tunnel, bam! A global pandemic hit. In the middle of said pandemic was the time window for many men and women to consider starting a family if they hadn’t already had at least one child.

Millennials are a tired batch of people in the world. They followed orders for nearly two decades and saw that the system was flawed and, in some aspects, maybe even rigged against them. Of course, people in their ’30s don’t want to work; they’re tired. Some have stayed the course and fought through it while others want to coast now and not be bombarded with any more stress. Maybe quit life and own a Yak farm in northern Washington State. This kind of lifestyle and its choices bring up the question: Why would you want to bring a kid into this world right now?

America has a crippling economic system. You step outside your door and it costs you a hundred dollars. You stay inside and all the streaming services you subscribe to are also chipping away at your bank account. Now add in diapers, daycare, and hoping to that God that always wants us to procreate that there isn’t a baby formula shortage again. It’s an anxious time to have a child.

More than ever, it’s an anxious time for women to want to become mothers. As The Wall Street Journal reports, “Fertility is falling almost everywhere, for women across all levels of income.” As time goes on, birth rates affect economies and the standing of world powers in the political climate. That’s the government’s way of saying, “Hey ladies, we need you to do us a solid.” The problem is that despite the economic challenges families or even single mothers can face when raising a child, there are a lot of politicians now sticking their noses into the process a woman has with creating life, or even terminating what some politicians think constitutes a living being. This, quite frankly, can cause some pushback from the demographics of women in America and even globally.

It’s hard to see change taking shape with starting a family right now in this country. Millenials and Gen Z’s are a career-oriented generation. They want the money to build a family off of so their child can grow up knowing that Mom and Dad have a cushion for them to fall back on if they need it. However, if people can’t afford to take care of themselves first, what makes anyone think being able to take care of someone else is achievable? This is an “issue” that has surpassed American borders; India surpassed China in terms of population last year. However, its fertility rates have dropped drastically. Governments worry about the effect this all has on the workforce decades down the road and what it will do to the economy.

This hasn’t been a new issue. NBC News also stated this back in 2019, with the biggest drop in rates dating back to 2017. Maybe with Millenials now being the main generation in the workforce, they’re holding out until they find some sort of satisfaction in their career and the social and political world that governs it. Scientific advancements in fertility have also proven that you can roll the dice in that department and wait, but it may cost you some money as well. Maybe waiting or even avoiding starting a family becomes this generation’s paradoxical curse, just like their parents with an economic bubble that burst, leaving all of us to try and put the pieces back together again.

What if the idea of rebelling against societal norms harms those coming up through the ranks in 25-30 years? What if there is no more American Dream or even just a general journey to find one’s purpose later in life for the toddlers of America right now, all because their parents were mad at the world? Only time will tell what becomes of this country ⏤ and whoever ends up running it.