Weird article! The actual hardships described here are like "Giving up a carefree life full of travel and hobbies." Yes, that's generally what you have to do when you become a parent, unless you have the money for a full-time nanny
Ok I'm broadly sympathetic to the notion that housing costs are causing people to have fewer kids than desired but I'm sorry, you absolutely can raise a child in less than 2,000sqft, ask me how I know. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
Parenthood is a gift. But because of the rising cost of food, housing, and child care, many hardworking young Americans are priced out of building the families they want. I’m doing everything I can to bring costs down and make parenthood affordable.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
Can we please stop pretending that things like "Rising Costs" of having children are a natural phenomenon?
Although the cost of living has a trillion contributing factors, there's no question about the effect of decades of GOP hostility to anything that would make life easier for families. 🧵
Seriously what's the big deal here? Shouldn't people learn to live within their means? I very much want to own a Ferrari but never had because I could never afford it. What makes having kids different?? www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
“It’s just crazy right now. I have always told my husband, like, if we were rich, I would definitely have kids.”
Having children seems like a luxury right now. If you’re already feeling stretched financially, adding the costs of children seems untenable.
These Couples Wanted to Have Children. Rising Costs Are Stopping Them.
Republicans want to control women’s bodies but don’t want to help them in anyway to stay healthy or have children.
Republicans are here for the kleptocracy.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
It is so sad to think that couples who would like to have children don't feel they can afford to.
Kids have always been expensive but with housing & #childcare increasingly unaffordable, plus constantly rising food, #healthcare & gas prices ... 🤷♀️
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
These Couples Wanted to Have Children. Rising Costs Are Stopping Them.
High mortgage payments, higher child care costs and economic uncertainty are making some people rethink their plans on starting a family.
April 26, 2026
Kailyn Rhone
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
You can't say you're not having kids because you can't afford a bigger home to raise them in when you live in a 2,000-square-foot house. We raised 2 in under 1,600, my dad & his sister lived with their parents in a 1-bedroom apartment.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
J.D. Vance wants women to become "tradwives" who stay at home & have children. But Trump is doing nothing to lower the high cost of having children leading many couples who want children to decide not to have them instead
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
And Republican officials wonder why Americans aren't having babies anymore.
These Couples Wanted to Have Children. Rising Costs Are Stopping Them. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
My research on childcare prices and fertility got a mention in the @nytimes.com yesterday in a piece featuring couples weighing the cost of childcare alongside housing and other rising expenses in their decisions about having children. Thank you, Kailyn Rhone!
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, but I’ll call you soon. I haven’t signed up for the next season yet—I’m waiting until after my next appointment. I’m also working through a few things with management before making any commitments.
Yes to commenter JK, "Several of these couples could 'afford' to have kids, but they could not have kids AND maintain the lifestyles they currently have and greatly enjoy..." I would add... 1/2 www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
Remember when Republicans cared about birth rates? Turns out they care more about adoring Trump’s policies.
“About three in five Gen Zers and millennials said financial concerns influenced their choice not to have any or more children at this time”
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/b...
