Yes, Millennials are to blame for the “historically low birth rate” in the U.S.—but research is proving it’s not because they don’t want kids.

Yes, Millennials are to blame for the “historically low birth rate” in the U.S.—but research is proving it’s not because they don’t want kids. Deciding not to have kids is more accepted than it once was, and 17% of Millennials tell YPulse that they’re not interested in ever having children. But the reality is that the majority do want to start families, and National Surveys of Family Growth found that among those who do, the number of kids that they want to have hasn’t changed significantly between Gen X and Millennials. (Two is still the ideal—though one-and-done families are of course growing, see below.) So why is that birth rate dropping? Millennials’ decision to delay parenthood is financially driven. The costs of raising kids is rising at the same time that the economic stability many require to start a family (steady paycheck, affordable housing, etc.) have become less and less certain. As a result, “For many parents and would-be parents, the ‘right time’ to have a child, or have another child, may feel increasingly out of reach—no matter their ideal family size.” (Fortune, NewsOSU)