摘要：In recent years, a growing number of adults are choosing to remain child-free.While this decision was once stigmatized, it is now

Why Are More Adults Choosing to Remain Child-Free?

为什么越来越多的成年人

选择不生孩子？

Choosing to be child-free: Changing priorities, finances, and other factors.

选择不生孩子：改变优先事项、财务状况和其他因素。

Posted September 7, 2025 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

发布于 2025 年 9 月 7 日 | Jessica Schrader 审阅

In recent years, a growing number of adults are choosing to remain child-free.While this decision was once stigmatized, it is now gaining wider acceptance and understanding.The shift reflects changing societal ideas about personal fulfillment and social roles.

近年来，越来越多的成年人选择不生孩子。尽管这一决定曾一度受到指责，但现在正获得更广泛的接受和理解。这种转变反映了社会对个人成就和社会角色观念的变化。

I recently spent time in a group of millennial and Gen X colleagues, and the conversation inevitably shifted to children and families. I was shocked to find that more than half of us had chosen to remain child-free.

最近，我和一群千禧一代和X世代的同事们聊了聊，自然而然地转到了孩子和家庭上。我惊讶地发现，超过一半的人选择不生孩子。

Growing up, whenever I said I didn’t want children, I’d get sideways glances or hear the familiar line: “You’ll change your mind when you get older.” (Spoiler: I haven’t.)

在我成长的过程中，每当我说我不想要孩子时，我都会收到别人的侧目，或者听到那句熟悉的话：“等你长大了，你就会改变主意的。”（剧透：我没有。）

In recent years, I find that I am not alone. In fact, a growing number of adults are choosing to remain child-free—a decision that was once stigmatized but is now gaining wider acceptance and understanding. Many of us are motivated by a desire for freedom, concerns about mental health, financial and political considerations, or simply a lack of desire for children1-5.

近年来，我发现自己并非孤单一人。事实上，越来越多的成年人选择不生孩子——这一决定曾一度被视为耻辱，但现在正获得更广泛的认可和理解。我们中的许多人出于对自由的渴望、对心理健康的担忧、经济和政治方面的考虑，或者仅仅是因为不想生1-5岁的孩子。

Exploring the reasons behind this shift offers insight into some cultural changes:

探究这种转变背后的原因可以让我们深入了解一些文化变革：

1. Evolving Social Norms Around Family and Gender Roles

1. 家庭和性别角色相关的社会规范演变

In recent decades, many adults have shifted their priorities away from traditional milestones like marriage and children. For some, the appeal of personal freedom, travel, and career growth outweighs the desire to start a family. According to a Pew Research Center survey, the majority of child-free adults say they “just didn’t want” children. This trend highlights a rise in individualism, with more people defining success on their own terms instead of following traditional expectations.2

近几十年来，许多成年人不再将婚姻和孩子等传统人生里程碑视为人生的重心。对一些人来说，个人自由、旅行和职业发展的吸引力超过了成家立业的愿望。皮尤研究中心的一项调查显示，大多数没有孩子的成年人表示他们“只是不想要”孩子。这一趋势凸显了个人主义的兴起，越来越多的人不再遵循传统的期望，而是根据自己的意愿来定义成功。2

The stigma around being child-free has lessened, allowing more adults to embrace this choice without fear of judgment. Earlier research on this topic primarily focused on heterosexual women who were considered “childless,” rather than the “child-free” or “childless-by-choice” framework that highlights how not being parents can be an active decision.

人们对不生育子女的污名化已经减少，让更多成年人能够坦然接受这一选择，而不必担心受到评判。此前关于这一主题的研究主要关注那些被认为“不生育”的异性恋女性，而不是“不生育”或“自愿不生育”的框架，后者强调不生育子女也可能是一种主动的选择。

These shifts are also tied to broader changes in gender roles. Traditional expectations—particularly the assumption that women must become mothers—are evolving, and more adults are redefining fulfillment outside of parenthood. However, while many women still face judgment and negativity for their choice, it is noteworthy that both men and women report similar reasons for not wanting children.2

这些转变也与性别角色的更广泛变化息息相关。传统的期望——尤其是女性必须成为母亲的假设——正在演变，越来越多的成年人正在重新定义为人父母之外的满足感。然而，尽管许多女性仍然因其选择而面临评判和负面评价，但值得注意的是，男性和女性都报告了不想要孩子的原因相似。2

2. Greater Awareness of Mental Health and the Influence of Trauma

2. 提高对心理健康和创伤影响的认识

Even as societal stigma around being child-free fades, the decision is often rooted in mental health and well-being. For many, it is about protecting their emotional health and breaking cycles of trauma. As conversations about mental health become more open, more people are recognizing the importance of emotional readiness before taking on the responsibilities of parenthood.

即使社会对不生孩子的偏见逐渐消退，人们做出决定往往还是出于心理健康和福祉的考量。对许多人来说，这关乎保护自己的情绪健康，打破创伤的循环。随着心理健康越来越开放，越来越多的人意识到在承担为人父母的责任之前做好情绪准备的重要性。

For some, remaining child-free is a conscious way to heal and avoid repeating painful patterns from abusive or traumatic family experiences.2 And since research further shows that adults who choose not to have children report “no differences in life satisfaction" compared with those who become parents, this shows that fulfillment and happiness do not have to be tied to parenthood3.

对一些人来说，不生孩子是一种有意识的疗愈方式，可以避免重蹈家庭虐待或创伤性经历的覆辙。2研究进一步表明，选择不生孩子的成年人与成为父母的成年人相比， “生活满意度没有差异”，这表明成就感和幸福感并不一定与为人父母挂钩。3

3. Economic and Political Factors

3. 经济和政治因素

Raising children has never been cheap. But having a family today comes with significant financial challenges: from housing costs to education, child care, health care, and many other expenses; all factors that contribute to many adults' decision not to have children.2 For many of my clients and those in my social circle, economic uncertainty and the rising cost of living make the prospect of parenthood daunting or can even make it feel unattainable. Pew Research Center (2024) found that many “say not having kids has made it easier for them to afford the things they want, have time for hobbies and interests, and save for the future.”2

养育孩子从来都不便宜。但如今，养家糊口面临着巨大的经济挑战：从住房成本到教育、儿童保育、医疗保健以及许多其他开支；所有这些因素都导致许多成年人决定不生孩子。2对于我的许多客户和社交圈的人来说，经济不确定性和不断上涨的生活成本使为人父母的前景令人望而生畏，甚至让人觉得遥不可及。皮尤研究中心（2024）发现，许多人“表示，没有孩子让他们更容易负担得起自己想要的东西，有时间发展爱好和兴趣，并为未来储蓄。” 2

Furthermore, research points to a rise in adults choosing to remain child-free when reproductive health care is uncertain or unavailable, with studies concluding that “when access to safe reproductive health care is uncertain or unavailable, adults that do not already have children may decide that they do not want children.5”

此外，研究还表明，当生殖保健服务不确定或无法获得时，选择不生育的成年人数量有所增加，研究得出的结论是：“当无法确定或获得安全的生殖保健服务时，尚未生育的成年人可能会决定不想要孩子。5 ”

4. Cultural and Media Representation Normalizing Child-Free Lifestyles

4. 文化和媒体对无子女生活方式的正常化呈现

Media representation has a powerful impact on social norms. Increasing portrayals of child-free adults in movies, television, and social media help normalize the choice not to have children and provide positive examples for others. For many of us, shows like Friends, Seinfeld, and Sex and the City helped normalize adults living fulfilling lives without children, a trend that’s still visible today in both TV and online spaces.

媒体形象对社会规范有着强大的影响。电影、电视和社交媒体中越来越多地刻画没有孩子的成年人，这有助于使不生孩子的选择正常化，并为其他人树立积极的榜样。对我们许多人来说，像《老友记》、《宋飞传》和《欲望都市》这样的电视剧，让没有孩子的成年人也能过上充实的生活成为常态，这种趋势在今天的电视和网络空间中仍然可见。

For anyone questioning their choice, let this be clear: being child-free is valid, and your life can be meaningful and fulfilling on your own terms.

对于那些质疑自己选择的人来说，请明确一点：不生孩子是合理的，而且你的生活可以按照自己的意愿变得有意义和充实。

来源：左右图史