Parenthood was once thought to be inevitable — a destiny — for healthy fertile adults. However, global trends, millennial pressures, and other common themes are causing more adults to choose to not have children.

We’re bringing in the incredible human Claudia Erban, who’s a Law Clerk by day, certified fitness instructor at Sweat & Tonic in Toronto by night, and the creator of @urban.meets.erban on IG. Claudia bravely agreed to come on the show to discuss this topic, and we say bravely because we know how many sensitivities are woven into this conversation, particularly for those that want children and struggle to have them. At the end of the day, we all have the right to choose; we'll dig into Claudia’s personal take on choosing a childless life.

Claudia Erban is a Law Clerk by day and certified fitness instructor at Sweat & Tonic in Toronto by night. Follow her on IG @urban.meets.erban.

Supporting Articles:

Today

Notes: The number of babies born in the U.S. last year fell to the lowest level in 32 years, with younger women especially having fewer kids. Americans are now having fewer children than it takes to replace the population, a trend mirrored in other countries. Some examples from the article:

Cost of living and having a baby
Desire for autonomy, spontaneity, freedom and the ability to travel.
Many child-free people want to focus on the relationships they already have
Yes, we’re missing out on something, but so are parents, we’re all missing out on something else

Vogue

The global fertility rate has been cut in half since 1950
Children are bad for the planet - One study out of Sweden found that having one fewer child per family can save nearly 60 tons of carbon-equivalent emissions a year.
An increase in female breadwinners around the world has left many reluctant to leave jobs
There are many different ways to create a family
A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Sociology looked at families in 22 countries and found that having children makes people significantly less happy compared to people who don’t have kids, a phenomenon researchers dubbed the “parenting happiness gap”

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