Apparently in 2030, 45% of women ages 25–44 will be single and childfree. Do you think this will happen?

[YouAreNotBatman]

https://medium.com/hello-love/study-predicts-45-of-women-will-be-single-by-2030-1fbc99bad6a8

Came across this article.
And as much as I (single/childfree woman) would like this to be true, just so there would be more like-minded people and the stigma of being single and childfree woman would lessen.

I really don’t think this is going to happen.
Most people are still higgly conventional and traditions seem to stick in strong.

And also: putting young age 25 is jist silly, by the next 5-10 years most of those women will be married/have kids.
And what I’ve seen happening in dating life is that labels have changed, but it’s still the same old, same old.
Many insist they are ’casual’ or have areagment or new word for dating, but they are basically just plain old dating/in a relationship.

@JenniferBooth Wow, that’s bizarre. I’m just over a year younger than you and know tons of children people in our age group, it’s not uncommon at all!

See upthread, DH and I are the only ones on our families to have children- and two childfree siblings are several years older than us.

Crazy they it was seen as so unusual where you live, it’s not where we are!

The chat shows were in 1997 1998 and 2000.

@catchthedog Yes, there’s always a handful of extremists on either side of the debate who can’t imagine that anyone could be happy making a different choice to theirs!

In reality, we’re all different and what suits one person wouldn’t suit another.

So you were 24-27 and considered an anomaly then because you didn’t intend to have children?

That’s crazy. How many people of our generation had even thought about it too deeply at that age, I certainly hadn’t.

Fingers crossed. The only way to bring down the patriarchy.

I've done all that as well as having kids. Never saw it as a choice of having a good life OR having kids.

I think the point is for many young people having the time & money for travel, exercise & hobbies, great careers & dc is difficult. Not that one or the other is a better life.

And yet if you search mumsnet there are so many threads with people saying how much they're not enjoying the drudgery of motherhood - just one example https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/1708818-Anyone-else-hate-motherhood
And these are people who actually wanted children - I just don't.

@YouAreNotBatman yes you're right, because I'm childfree I've had people say to me "but you don't seem like a selfish person...". As if only selfish people would willingly choose not to have children. I agree also it's not right people expect women without children to have amazing careers or hobbies or achievements instead. I do think that without children I've had to really think about what makes my life feels meaningful (after reading Victor Frankel). For me it's the work I do in my career but people can find meaning in all different ways and that's a personal thing - we shouldn't feel the need to explain or justify it to it her people.

I got it honestly.

I was the youngest of three and the older two were born in an abusive marriage and they caused her a hell of a time, so much heartache.

She was just speaking on her own experiences. It was definitely sad that she went through life not being entirely fulfilled, but it wasn't sad that she told me that at an age where she believed (correctly) I could handle it. I felt closer to her for understanding that side of her tbh. And it didn't stop me from wanting and having my own child eventually.

She'd have been around seventy now. She died in her fifties.

where have you got this 1-4% stat from? Most recent ONS statistic (from 2020) says 18% of women over 45 don't have children. That's for women born 1975, so yes, I would imagine there might be a fairly significant increase over the next decade (due to various cultural shifts), although agree with the general comments on this thread that it is very unlikely 45% will never have kids. The ONS stat shows that childlessness itself hasn't increased hugely since the 1950s (an increase of 5% in 70 years), it's the age at which women are having children (and to a lesser extent the overall number) where there's been a dramatic difference.

I'm also not convinced by 'historically', unless you mean comparatively recently - it's only in the last 100 (150 max) years or so we've had anything close to reliable statistics that would have recorded how many women married or had kids - the 1911 census was the first to really record this in any sort of sufficient detail.

@YouAreNotBatman - hi! I, too, am a (properly single) singleton without a fairly standard career etc. I would add on the apparently essential caveats that I'm a lovely normal person etc. but tbh I'm 50/50 - I'm lovely on good days but probably a pita in lots of ways too!

@FuckTheLemonsandBail Goodness, that’s sad. 💐 My Mum had such a different life experience, despite being much older.

@Tootootoot I do read those threads and it's what put me off for so long. but 99% of the time it seems to come down to having a crap partner, or giving up their financial freedom or jobs rather than the actual having a child.

From the people I know, women who have come out of marriage and long term relationships, are happier single.
Those who have always been single or have only had short term relationships, aren't happy and are actively looking to settle down.

I wonder how it will work in the future then, if men are happier married. Will they have to step up and work hard to persuade all these happy single women to marry them?
Or will they just have to accept living their unhappy single lives?

a lot of people can’t have both though, and have to decide what they want more.

Then there’s those of us who could, but just lack any desire for a child, and fail to see the appeal of parenthood.

Why is everyone talking about child-free women? The stats in the study are about unmarried women, there's no mention of children.

It states quite clearly "45% of prime working age women (ages 25-44) will be single by 2030—the largest share in history—up from 41% in 2018."

No mention of child-free. Just women who aren't married. It's not even such a huge increase.
Many women in that age group will be living with a partner or divorced. Big deal.

Those who have always been single or have only had short term relationships, aren't happy and are actively looking to settle down.

Just so that you know @Draconis , this is not true!
I speak from personal experience.
I promise you, I’m definetly NOT looking to ’settle down’ (at least not in the husband/kids kind of way).

But your martial status is totally separate to your parental status. Many people are married and without kids and vice versa.

Yeah, blame the OP!

Single means not in a relationship. Cohabitation is included.

As long as they get a number of children which is about what they wanted, and those kids are well cared for, I don't care if it's 0 or 15 that 44% have.

Oh, yeah, except in that study.. it being American, they do mean married.

FWIW there are approximately 8m people who live alone in the UK, male and female.

@Draconis Sorry but that's nonsense to put it politely.
I am just fine with being single. Not waiting around for a man to make me happy. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Nope, the study means unmarried. It's based on the US census.

Yes, I corrected myself. Stupid study. Or stupid reporting of study.

The study is fine, it's about the economic influence of women, and 25-44 is selected because it's prime employment age, not because it's prime childbearing age. But then some random on Medium decides to link it to childlessness and here we are...

@MovieQueen12 and @YouAreNotBatman
I'm only talking about the few women I know who are single (as in not in relationships, not just not married)
Sorry no offence meant and of course, I know there'll be women who have never been in long term relationships because they don't want to.