“I Don’t Want Children”: 11 Reasons Why People Are Choosing Not To Have Kids

Written by Niharika Nayak, BA (Media & Communication)  • 

Once you tie the knot, it automatically becomes a given in our Indian society to bear children as soon as possible. However, this is not a choice that everyone wants to make. In fact, many couples are adopting or not having kids at all. Why you may ask? Well, because at the end of the day, it is a personal choice. If you’re someone who has always grown up with the expectation of having kids but has been unsure of yourself, then here are a few reasons why other couples are choosing not to have children. Despite India being the second-most populous country in the world, many couples are restricting themselves to a single child or none altogether.

1. Parenting Is Not Their Cup Of Tea

Desire To Have Children
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Not everyone desires to be a parent. If you think you do not have a maternal instinct, you might just be right. While there are a lot of people who adore their children and cannot imagine a life without them, others are perfectly content in just living their lives without one. However, just because someone doesn’t want kids, doesn’t mean they are Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians. It’s a matter of choice. On the contrary, by not forcing themselves to have children, they are being responsible about their lives.

2. Their Careers Are A Bigger Priority

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Many people have jobs that take up a major chunk of their lives. Due to this reason, they cannot imagine the concept of putting their career on hold just to have children. For some people, having a good career is a bigger priority than children. For many women, taking a gap to have children is not feasible as they will lose precious time and fall back on their work compared to their peers. Getting back into the game will hence be more difficult for them.

3. Environmental Reasons

Environmental Reasons
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The harsh reality is that the birth of more children on the planet will lead to a requirement for more resources and will also create more pollution. For those who are extremely concerned about the impacts of climate change and overpopulation, not having kids is an incredibly smart decision and can have a positive impact on the environment.

4. They Cannot Afford To Have Children

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At the end of the day, if you cannot afford to have children, don’t have them. Having children is a major responsibility and you have to provide for them for at least the first eighteen years of their life. This will include childcare, paying for their education, and more. This will also include the amount of money that will be required for prenatal and postnatal care. It’s a lifetime commitment in any part of the world including India.

5. They Might Have Other Caretaking Responsibilities

Caretaking Responsibilities
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Some people might not want to take on the responsibility of having children because they have other responsibilities. They might have aging parents who they need to look after or they might have a sibling who is unable to look after themselves and is thus reliant on them. Whatever their reason is, nobody should feel pressured to give birth if they don’t wish to.

6. They Would Rather Live A Jet-setting Lifestyle

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Some people have jobs that don’t allow them to stay put in one location. Maybe they are travel influencers, flight attendants, or have another job that doesn’t let them move around. Or maybe, they just enjoy traveling and would rather spend their hard-earned money on travel than raising kids. Having kids can be a beautiful experience, but it’s true that you get tied down for a while, and give all the attention to the kid. The responsibility is intense and for some, it becomes a life-changing experience, whether it’s for the good or bad is entirely up to perspective.

7. Their Lifestyle Doesn’t Agree With Having Children

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Maybe they don’t want to be disturbed by loud crying or kids throwing tantrums every now and then. Or maybe, they are the type of people who like their apartment to look chic and modern and kids would just drop things around the apartment or create other issues.

8. The Timing Just Isn’t Right

Timing Just
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Maybe they wanted to have kids in the past but as time went on, their priorities shifted to other things. Maybe they love animals more and want to spend their time volunteering at animal shelters instead of raising kids. Or maybe they didn’t find someone to have kids with when they were younger and are not interested in having them now. Pets can be a good companion if you are planning to stay childless.

9. They Had A Traumatic Childhood

Traumatic Childhood
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Not everyone has a happy childhood. It’s about time that we started talking about toxic and abusive parents. Indian culture is such that we often put parents in the “victim” position and children in the “aggressor” one. However, more often than not, it is the parents who are abusive and the child does everything they can to get away from their parents. In these cases, many of these individuals have too much trauma associated with childhood and hence would not want to raise kids.

10. They Would Rather Adopt Pets

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Some people have a love for animals but cannot find it within themselves to have a child. Maybe they find that raising pets is a more financially affordable option. In the end, raising pets is still more affordable than having children.

11. They Might Have Health Reasons

Health Reasons
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Some people might be suffering from health conditions like infertility. Or maybe carrying a child might be too much of a burden on their bodies. Maybe they have a family history of mental illness and thus do not want to have children. Whatever their reasons, they can always resort to surrogacy and other medical procedures.

Finally, being a parent is a personal choice. Whether you would love to be a parent or not, a lot of external factors come into play, like money, time, mental health, and other responsibilities. It is something that you must discuss with your partner beforehand and get cleared out of the way before you decide to get serious with them. Do let us know all of your thoughts on this article in the comment section below.

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