The Growing Culture Of Childlessness

"Lifetime childlessness in western Germany has hit 30 percent among university-educated women, and is rapidly rising among lower-class men. In Britain, the number of women remaining childless has doubled in 20 years. In Japan, where the birthrate stands at a dismal 1.25 per woman, a record 56 percent of 30-year-old women are still childless, up from 24 percent in 1985."

"Today the decision to have—or not have—a child is the result of a complex combination of factors, including relationships, career opportunities, lifestyle and economics."

"In Australia, real-estate developers and agents have focused on the childless as the fastest-growing type of household. With their generally higher spending power, the childless are driving real-estate prices in expensive areas like Manhattan and central London; a recent British study showed a house's value drops by 5 percent if neighbors move in with teenage kids. Hotels are catering to the childless, too; Italy's La Veduta country resort promises, 'Your Tuscan holiday will not be shattered by the clamor of children.' In Rome, many restaurants make it clear that children are not welcome—in some cases by establishing themselves as clubs, where members must be older than 18 to join."