Penna Dexter

The birth rate in the US has hit an all-time low. Replacement-level fertility requires an average of 2.1 children per woman. Ours is roughly 1.76.

Fewer women are having children. And the ones who do are having fewer of them.

A Pew Research survey done in June reveals that Americans like the idea of larger families. According to the study “41 percent of US adults think that families of three or more children is ideal,” but millennials are just not going there.

Melissa Langsam Braunstein writes for The Federalist. Lately, she’s been tackling issues surrounding millennials and marriage. Her analysis of the trends leads her to conclude that “millennials will either have fewer children than they’d wanted or opt out of parenthood altogether.”

Ms. Braunstein encourages millennials to take “a leap of faith” and have babies despite their worries. She writes, “the world has never been problem-free, and sometimes we need to act in spite of that.”

Millennials are very concerned about the high cost of childcare. Melissa Braunstein  points out that “the first five years are the most costly in this category.” She suggests soliciting “help from family members, adjusting work schedules, and trading off childcare with other parents.” I’d add figuring out ways for moms to work part-time from home.

Lots of millennials say they aren’t having kids because they can’t afford a house. But, writes, Ms. Braunstein, babies can live in apartments.

Besides, you won’t regret the sacrifices you make to be a parent. One study of millennials shows 36 percent of respondents choosing to forgo having kids because they “want leisure time,” 18 percent saying “career is a greater priority,” and 14 percent saying they “work too much” to have children. Melissa Braunstein urges her generation to rethink these priorities. As millennials age, these concerns will evaporate. They’ll miss those kids, and so will society.