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Original poster

Highest percentage of women unmarried and childless by 2030

102 replies

Nelly10 · 13/09/2023 14:31

I read recently the way society is going by 2030 they’ll nearly half unmarried and childless women between 25-44.

Apparently this is already a thing in china a lot of women are going it alone solo parenting.

I have my opinions on why, just wondered what anyone else’s thoughts were ?

Highest percentage of women unmarried and childless by 2030
OP posts:
verdantverdure · 14/09/2023 05:39

Fifireee · 14/09/2023 05:35

I have no life. I have work, housework, cooking, shopping, elderly parents, teenagers and in-laws.
I can’t remember the last time I had a nice day.
I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t exhausted and overwhelmed with guilt.
Tomorrow my only day off I have so much to do I’m going to need to get up at 4.30 to achieve the bare minimum.

I love them beyond measure but I honestly cannot say I would get married or have children had I known the life I would have.
I hope my daughters don’t.

Yeah. >grim nod<

Oblomov23 · 14/09/2023 06:42

I can't see that this is telling us anything we didn't already know.

TheHappyCarrot · 14/09/2023 07:28

I would say it's a reflection on men. So many are really not worth bothering with that staying single is better.

JamSandle · 14/09/2023 08:02

For me and I suspect many women, I don't want to feel trapped. I really value my freedom.

Dragonfly97 · 14/09/2023 08:25

I'm 58, married and no kids. Happy with my DH, been together 26 years, but if I had my life again I'd focus on a career and wouldn't marry.

IncompleteSenten · 14/09/2023 09:04

Any man is not better than no man. If more and more straight women are opting out then that says a lot about the quality of men out there.
Instead of whining about it, they could oh I don't know become better human beings and someone straight women want to be with!

HamBone · 14/09/2023 13:16

What this thread is telling me is that we parents need to try harder to prepare boys to be decent partners and fathers.

I agree that many people are describing men who are really poor relationship material and I can understand why no one would want them! Surely they can be taught to behave differently though? I don’t agree that the accessibility of porn automatically turns a man into a poor partner/father. There has to be more to it, for example, modeling poor behavior to them.

For example, treating other people with respect and valuing your partner/children. If your parents say that no one shouts or speaks rudely to each other, that’s what children learn to do. Same with debating ideas and being able to accept that other people’s opinions may differ from yours.

I know that’s why my DH is a good father, because he was taught to be one. As was his Dad.

My own Dad was pretty hopeless, tbh, but he had a v. different upbringing (plus MH problems).

Original poster
Nelly10 · 14/09/2023 13:56

I’m trying with my son, he’s quite young still but I feel and desperately hope he will be a great dad, role model when he’s older.

He’s great at the moment but I need to keep this going throughout the teenage years and early adulthood.

He hasn’t got a role model in his own father but he has a great bond with my dad so that’s the example I’m using to him.

OP posts:
SamW98 · 14/09/2023 15:13

If you had asked me and my friends this we 25-30 we would all have been unmarried and childless.
Ask again at 35-40, we all had kids and all either married or in LTR with the father of our children.

It’s a big age range and a huge change of life happens between those extremes.

Oneisthree · 14/09/2023 15:15

I am extremely jealous of childless, single women. My life was good then. I was happy.

Lili132 · 14/09/2023 15:27

ThisWillBeMyDay · 13/09/2023 14:41

I think these are totally hyperbole headlines.

Clue nro.1 : ages 25-44z
There is nothing even worth mentioning of a 25 yo not having children (yet) or married.

nro.2 unmarried: that doesn’t mean single.
And again, 25 yo not being married really isin’t news worthy.

Had it started from age 40, it would have been actually worthy study/article/interesting news.
There is this odd narrative now that women want and choose to stay single/childfree (and I say this as an single and childfree woman in her 30’s) and how women need no man and men are sad, or angry, about this.
Or that massive number of women are bow gay/bi and dating women.
But I’m not seeing this in the real world.
Most women still want to date men very much and do the whole marriage and kids stuff.
And many put up with bad behaviour from men to have it.

So I don’t understand why lie like this.
There has been many stories like this in the past few years.
But like I said, most women want men and will put up with anything to have/keep him.

I have no idea what the agenda behind these articles are?
To make men angry and start voting more conservative or something?
It’s very weird, whatever their reasonings are.

Edited

I totally agree and notice how they never mention unmarried /single, childless men. It's always about women.

Also with high cost of housing and childcare there are so many external factors at play. I've read another thread about a person on 75k being asked for guarantor when trying to rent a single bed flat.
Now imagine a family with stay at home mum who can't afford childcare and a husband earning average salary trying to rent a family house in let's say South East in competitive private market. Let's not even start on pitfalls of getting a mortgage for young people.
It's not really a case of living frugally and making it happen anymore.

HamBone · 14/09/2023 15:35

Oneisthree · 14/09/2023 15:15

I am extremely jealous of childless, single women. My life was good then. I was happy.

What is it about your current circumstances they’d making you unhappy? Can/will this change?

HamBone · 14/09/2023 15:35

*that’s making you unhappy.

manontroppo · 14/09/2023 15:39

I think men haven't kept up, to be honest. Women got fed up of sitting at home being bored shitless, fought for education and good jobs, and no longer put up with men being a bit shit (which you could do if at least they went out and brought home some money).

I don't see anywhere near the same pressure on men to up their game, and why would any woman shack up with someone who's a bit shit when there is an alternative?

GilbertMarkham · 14/09/2023 15:52

verdantverdure · 14/09/2023 04:31

Because how can you assess the reasons for here and now if you're using it as your baseline?

Show quote history

I'm not sure what you're referring to.

LittleObe · 15/09/2023 08:03

Pretty obvious why - men, money, choice.

Lots of men have no respect for women and want 50/50 finances with 20/80 housework/child rearing.

Money - wages aren't enough anymore and childcare too expensive.

Choice - they don't have to if they don't want to.

sosickofthisshit · 15/09/2023 09:40

It's not rocket science. Women have finally realised that there's more to life than popping out crotch goblins, and picking up their lazy, entitled, manchild husband's skidmarked pants off the floor.
We no longer have to put up with arseholes, and it's a beautiful thing 😊

EasternStandard · 15/09/2023 09:53

I haven’t thought about this much but my first thought is surely it’s a lot to do with social pressures on women falling away?

I’m all for balancing that out and having children is nice for me, but not necessarily best for all women and life can be good without choosing partner and dc

Also money might be factor

(loathe the term ‘crotch goblins’ though)

JenniferBooth · 15/09/2023 14:57

@LittleObe thats why when a "who should pay on dates" threads comes up i always insist that a man going 50/50 on paying is no indicator of equality.
Ive even seen threads on here where a woman is saving up for maternity leave (just her money not his) like its the Immaculate fucking Conception

ICanSeeMyHouseFromHere · 15/09/2023 15:21

IncompleteSenten · 14/09/2023 09:04

Any man is not better than no man. If more and more straight women are opting out then that says a lot about the quality of men out there.
Instead of whining about it, they could oh I don't know become better human beings and someone straight women want to be with!

exactly this.

I have 2 kids and an ex who it's easier living without (with basically 100% responsibility for the kids) than with.

I look around, and I'm just not seeing any bloke worth having. I shall finish raising my kids, then pack myself up into a camper and travel for 6 months of the year I reckon, and very much enjoy my independence.

ThisWillBeMyDay · 15/09/2023 15:39

Do any of you actually know / are you yourself actually single (as in no dates or hook-up’s) and don’t have / won’t have any kids?

What age are they / you?

I’m really bot seeing this phenomenon IRL.
Big talks on MN from women who are currently in relationship with men and have kids have said they’d never bother again, but that doesn’t mean anything.

verdantverdure · 15/09/2023 20:05

ThisWillBeMyDay · 15/09/2023 15:39

Do any of you actually know / are you yourself actually single (as in no dates or hook-up’s) and don’t have / won’t have any kids?

What age are they / you?

I’m really bot seeing this phenomenon IRL.
Big talks on MN from women who are currently in relationship with men and have kids have said they’d never bother again, but that doesn’t mean anything.

Half of my friends are single with no kids in their 40s.

In our families nobody under 38 has children currently although some of those in their 30s have a partner, and still may do perhaps.

HamBone · 15/09/2023 20:51

I’m 48 and know plenty of people in LTR relationships who’ve chosen to be childfree.

I also know several single parents, either through relationships ending or by choosing from the outset to be single parents (IVF or adoption). Among the single parents by choice, it’s been a slog for all but one.

I know a few people who are both single and childfree (all have been in relationships in the past) I know for sure that a couple of them would like to be in a relationship again, not sure about the others.

I think most women in our age group (40’s and 50’s) have high standards and can’t be bothered otherwise. 😂

HamBone · 15/09/2023 20:57

Forgot to mention that the 25-44 age range seems too broad for this type of study nowadays.

Even among my middle-aged peers , I only know two people IRL who had children before 30-one unplanned teenage pregnancy and the other planned at 29. Everyone else delayed starting their families until their early-late 30’s.

I think it would better to exclude under-30’s or perhaps under-35’s completely.

StarDolphins · 15/09/2023 21:03

I’m single. but I’m not childless.

My child’s happiness trumps mine at this stage & I’m 100% committed to ensuring a stable upbringing so choosing to raise her single. I really like it upto now.

Only when she’s an adult would I be open to a (good) relationship but no marriage & we live separately!😁