Possibilities for why: -Access to better medical care (lower mother/child mortality rate) which means children are more likely to survive unto adult hood. Als

Possibilities for why: -Access to better medical care (lower mother/child mortality rate) which means children are more likely to survive unto adult hood. Also includes birth control (pill, condoms, hysterectomy/vasectomy, etc). If parents (or individually potential mothers or fathers) don't want kids, they have choices to prevent. - Women have better education and choices: can work, can be stay at home mom, work at home mom, working mom, mom/not a mom, married/not married (and so many other mixes and situations I won't go on). - Children in developed countries take more resources and time to raise. Education mostly, but also socially pushed 'toys' and activities. Also take into account the 'emerging youth' trend which includes the 20-30 somethings that stay with their parents during/after highschool/college trying to find work/purpose. This costs parents money and can delay their retirement or other goals. More kids there are, more $ and more delay of goals. - Parents are no longer relying on their kids during retirement. Retirement funds, pensions and savings no longer require relying (as much) on the adult children (of course that's the ideal, but not always what happens). -Children are no longer needed to mind the farm/family business. -Adults are getting married later in life. Less time to have lots of kids, and having kids later in life can result in fertility issues and health complications. I list these mostly since as an educated woman who recently married in her mid-late 20's, I've thought of these and relate with these and how they work in my life. While I like the idea of a large family, like my parents had, it doesn't make sense for my husband and I. We plan only 2-3, closer to 2 kids. We're waiting to finish schooling (my second bachelors and my masters and my husband's schooling after jumping around trying to figure out what he wanted to study). We're both working full time, so no money due to school, no time due to work and school. While my parents rely on their children due to the economy, I know its more of an exception now than a rule. We're in the US, but I've sometimes considered moving to European countries that encourage families due to a stagnant/low birth rate (but of course don't like immigrants).