Young Adults Want Kids, But Face Serious Barriers to Parenthood, New Study Finds

Birth rates are falling in the U.S., but it's not because young adults don't want kids, according to a new study. In fact, researchers say they want almost as many children as their parents had. However, barriers to parenthood, like finances, are making it difficult to support children.

Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, the researchers found that women born between 1995 and 1999 wanted to have 2.1 children on average when they were between 20 and 24 years old. That's about the same number of children women born in the mid to late 1960s wanted.

While the percentage of people who didn't plan on having any children increased between the 1960s and 2000s, the researchers say that change isn't enough to explain the birth rate decline. Fewer unintended births, difficulty finding a romantic partner, and financial challenges all contribute, according to study author Sarah Hayford.

"Obviously, in the United States, it's expensive to have children," Hayford explains, "so people want to wait until they're financially in a place where they feel like they can manage having children, and that's taking a longer time." As people age, the study found, they tend to reduce the size of their families or may have a more difficult time conceiving.

Hayford concludes that it’s necessary to make it easier for people to have children by addressing barriers around finances, childcare, and health insurance.