The decline in the US birth rate is accelerating, creating a national concern for population stability. While developed countries typically require an average fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman to sustain population levels, the US rate has dropped to a historic low of below 1.6, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In an effort to boost the birth rate, the Trump administration plans to introduce a financial incentive under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The “Trump Account” would provide a one-time, seed money payment of $1,000 for every US citizen born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, aiming to help families build financial stability and, ultimately, boost the birth rate.
However, many finance experts and advocacy groups—including young women themselves—are opposing this strategy, arguing that a one-time payment fails to address the complex systemic barriers driving the decline.
Economic concerns are the primary force behind Gen Z women choosing to delay or forgo having children. As Bahja Jordan, Youth Coordinator of SisterSong, the largest national reproductive justice collective for women of color, notes: “We’re seeing a delay or this decision to not have children among young adults who are just focused on surviving. Childcare costs are high.”
The rising cost of living continues to outpace wages. As of September 2025, consumer prices are up 3.0% from the previous year, with food prices increasing by 3.1% and electricity by 5.1% (Bureau of Labor Statistics). This inflation contrasts sharply with the federal minimum wage, which has remained at $7.25 per hour since July 2009. Researchers suggest that if the federal minimum wage had kept pace with inflation, citizens would be making an average of around $24 per hour today.
This financial strain is deeply felt: the 2025 American Family Survey reports that more than 7 in 10 Americans say raising children is unaffordable. “I want to make sure I’m financially stable enough to give my children a good life,” said Anyx Burd, 27, reflecting the sentiment that financial security must precede parenthood. Sa’rai Graves, 25, added: “I want to make sure I’m able to accomplish my own personal goals in life before childbirth.”
Social and dating norms also contribute to the delay in childbirth. The current dating culture—defined by terms like “situationships” and “ghosting”—makes finding a genuine, long-term connection challenging for many Gen Zers. Jordan points out: “You can go on TikTok and Instagram threads and see a lot of discourse around how hard it is for this young generation to date, along with the expectations of what dating looks like.”
For Black women specifically, career success can inadvertently complicate the search for a supportive co-parent. Jessica Halsey, 23, states: “For my career, the more degrees a Black woman has, it becomes increasingly hard for her to get into a long-term relationship.” Research from the 2009 Yale Center for Research on Inequalities and the Life Course demonstrated that fewer Black women with postgraduate degrees are getting married and having children compared to their white counterparts—a finding that remains relevant in 2025. Women are increasingly seeking a partner who is not just loved and trusted, but who can be a truly supportive parenting equal.
For women of color, particularly Black women, the decision to have children is further complicated by severe health risks rooted in systemic racism within the medical system. According to the Los Angeles Urban League, Black mothers are three to four times more likely to die from preventable pregnancy-related complications than non-Hispanic white women. Experts suggest that over 80% of these pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Furthermore, the mortality rate for Black infants is twice as high as for non-Hispanic white infants.
These medical disparities exist across social classes and educational backgrounds. Black women face a higher risk of developing conditions like preeclampsia (high blood pressure) during pregnancy. This environment of medical bias creates fear: “How Black women have been treated for centuries during childbirth scares me,” said Jordyn Ignont, 25. She continued: “Society is conditioned to not care about Black women’s pain; it’s infuriating.”
Beyond financial and health concerns, a fundamental shift toward personal independence and bodily autonomy drives the choice to delay or opt for a child-free life.
The concept of “reproductive justice”—coined by a group of 12 Black women in 1994—serves as the framework for this pushback. It defines the human right to “maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent their children in safe and sustainable communities.” Jordan argues that the societal pressure to reproduce is often “rooted in white supremacy and oppressive structures.”
For many, prioritizing personal goals and self-investment is not a “selfish decision,” but a necessary exercise in self-awareness and self-determination, defying the outdated notion that a woman’s primary role is reproduction. Morgan Thompson, 25, says, “It may sound selfish, but I personally would only like to invest in myself.” Jordan concluded: “Black women are pushing back against this notion that their role is to only be a mother and reproduce. [Black women] should be able to decide if that’s the life they desire.”