I think it's a combination of all the high earners in the peer group either not wanting children (100 percent of my high earning single female peers) or wanting

I think it's a combination of all the high earners in the peer group either not wanting children (100 percent of my high earning single female peers) or wanting children but being unable to afford to raise them in the HCOL areas where they live (maybe 10-20 percent of the couples and single male peers). I wouldn't frame anyone's financial situation as dire, it's more that having a kid would result in a dramatic reduction in QoL or it's just a straight up idealogical nonstarter. The couple interested in having children have made major quality of life sacrifices (think moving to a cheaper city and still having 2 hour commutes) and also come from more conservative families. I can't help but think at least some of this is pressure from family and also friends/family back home having (multiple) children starting in their early 20s.