Why Young Adults Are Giving Up on Having Families

For the first time in human history, young people are choosing extinction over reproduction—and they're doing it for completely rational reasons.

Global fertility rates have crashed below replacement levels, with the demographic tipping point arriving as early as 2030. An entire generation is conducting the largest strike in history: withholding their fertility until broken systems are fixed.

What's happening RIGHT NOW:

Global fertility plummeted from 5.0 children per woman in 1950 to 2.1 today—heading to 1.6 by 2100
South Korea at 0.78 fertility rate, Japan at 1.3, China's population already shrinking
Social Security facing total collapse by 2035 with only 2.4 workers per retiree
20% of young Americans afraid to have children due to climate change
Sterilization rates among 18-30 year-olds doubled after Dobbs decision
Housing costs tripled relative to wages since parents' generation

Our panel reveals:

A demographer tracking the fastest fertility collapse in human history across all countries simultaneously
A 28-year-old climate activist who chose permanent sterilization because bringing children into this world feels "morally indefensible"
A Social Security actuary showing how demographic collapse will bankrupt pension systems globally
A health economist explaining why having children now means choosing poverty

The brutal economics: Young adults need $300,000 to raise one child while median income is $70,000. Student debt averages $37,000. Childcare costs $15,000 annually. Housing that cost 2-3x income for boomers now costs 6-8x income for millennials.

What you'll discover:

Why the "birth strike" movement is refusing to reproduce until climate action happens
How Social Security trust fund exhaustion will force 27% benefit cuts in 2035
Why countries spending billions on pro-natal policies see zero fertility increases
The psychological cost of choosing extinction to protect potential children
How demographic collapse could trigger civilizational breakdown—or force systematic change

The shocking reality: This isn't happening in isolation—every developed country faces simultaneous demographic collapse. China could lose 600 million people by 2100. Japan and South Korea are already experiencing population death spirals.

Young people aren't being selfish—they're making the ultimate sacrifice, giving up their biological future to demand systems worthy of children. They're conducting economic warfare of the highest order, withholding the next generation until this generation gets a future worth passing on.

Featured experts:

Dr. Michael Chen - Demographer & Population Studies Professor, Stanford University
Emma Rodriguez - Climate Activist & Birth Strike Movement Member
Dr. Jennifer Walsh - Health Economist & Family Policy Expert
Marcus Thompson - Social Security Administration Actuary

Sections:
The generation choosing extinction
Why global fertility is in freefall
The economics of impossible family formation
Social Security's demographic death spiral
Birth strike: withholding the future until systems change
What happens when civilizations stop reproducing

#BirthRate #Demographics #ClimateChange #SocialSecurity #BirthStrike #UnStructAI

This isn't just about having fewer babies—it's about the most profound demographic revolution in human history, driven by young people protecting potential children from a broken world.

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