Many reasons, soundbites don't work to explain it. > Some rich countries have done great to subsidize childcare and all that. In rich counties, people have mo

Many reasons, soundbites don't work to explain it. > Some rich countries have done great to subsidize childcare and all that. In rich counties, people have more desirable alternatives to having kids. Airfare is cheap. In high income countries, working professionals can fly around the world and enjoy a lifetime of partying their asses off. The DINK lifestyle is nice if you have money. Like, why give that up? Same reason my middle-upper class friends don't have dogs - dogs would mean less traveling. Growing up poor, we had dogs, and vacations were camping, which the dogs could enjoy to. Kids + dogs + tent, it all works out if you have some money but not a lot of money. > Poor countries and poorer people within rich countries are having more kids. But even there the rate is dropping. Birth rates are plummeting all around the world. > As noted, so many people are single as well. Why is that? A variety of reasons! 1. Women don't need a man to provide basics like food and shelter anymore. 2. Social skills are at an all time low because people spend time on their phones rather than being outside. It used to be if it was a summer Saturday your choices for entertainment were reruns on TV, a book, or doing something outside, likely with other people. Socialization was forced because there was no alternative. Lack of social skills directly translates to people not forming relationships. Also just less time spent with other people means less chance to form long term relationships. 3. The instant release dopamine machines in our pockets have gotten people used to the idea that gratification should be instant. Relationships take time and work. 4. All the traditional ways people met are pretty much dead. 3rd places are dead, people don't meet through church anymore, it is generally not recommended to date co-workers anymore (though it obv. still happens), and the various types of semi-arranged marriages that used to happen don't anymore (even in western countries, for a long time young couples were nudged together by parents.) Another thing is, going back pre-1920s and our entire idea of how dating should work doesn't even represent the dominant world view then, so we have really less than 100 years of "stable" Western society to look back on to try and judge if the current match making system even works. Given the multitude of factors, why would anyone expect people to be having kids? Young men don't know how to talk to women, young women don't know what healthy relationships look like, and married couples may very well not know a single other couple with kids to set a positive example of "a healthy family is possible!" Of course things are broken. The real question is why people are confused about it!