TEXAS — Younger generations of women are waiting until later in life to have kids or opting out altogether. Studies show the economy is playing a role in that decision. 

What You Need To Know

  • Although the population in Texas continues to grow, experts say the birth rate in the United States has gradually declined

  • A recent study from Securian Financial revealed economic conditions are having a major impact on Americans’ decision to have children

  • According to that study, 84% of Gen Z adults and 71% of millennials, ages 28 to 43, say the cost of living has influenced their choice to not have kids or grow their family

  • The cost of child care is a rising expense for families. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, child care prices have increased by 22% since 2020

“It’s really a challenging, rewarding profession because we take care of people during the best and the worst times of their lives,” said Dr. Patrick Ramsey.

Ramsey has been an OB-GYN for 25 years. As the maternal medical director at University Health in San Antonio and professor and chief of maternal-fetal medicine at UT Health San Antonio, he says they’ve seen a surge in pregnancies, but that isn’t the case everywhere.

“Because we opened the new facility a year ago, our deliveries went from 3,200 deliveries a year to 5,300,” Ramsey said. “So, it really surged here, but if you look across the community and across the state, the numbers are globally down.”

Although the population in Texas continues to grow, Ramsey says the birth rate in the United States has gradually declined.

“And we’ve seen the same phenomenon here in Texas,” Ramsey said. “That the rate of births has dropped even more so than the entire country.”

Ramsey says the coronavirus pandemic felt like the start of rising health and financial concerns. A recent study from Securian Financial revealed economic conditions are having a major impact on Americans’ decision to have children.

“There’s a lot of concerns about the economy, inflation, reducing sizes of family and having children later in life,” Ramsey said.

According to that study, 84% of Gen Z adults and 71% of millennials, ages 28 to 43, say the cost of living has influenced their choice to not have kids or grow their family. 

“It’s expensive to have children,” said economist Dr. Belinda Roman at St. Mary’s University. “To care for them the way you want to care for them, good school, good clothing, health, all of the things that we want.”

Roman says times have changed, and families are struggling to afford the same quality of care their parents did decades ago.

“If you’re a single parent, you have to have double incomes,” Roman said. “You have to have all sorts of things now. So, it’s harder to jump into it the way people use to do it all the time.”

The cost of child care is a rising expense for families. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, child care prices have increased by 22% since 2020. 

“Women are thinking about that, saying I want to have kids, but the first five years are significant,” Roman said. “So you’re going to be dropping out of the employment to take care of the children, not that you don’t want to. It’s just that, I think you women are thinking more about what the whole future. Whole big picture. Not just the first couple of years.”

Ramsey says some women are focusing on their careers, opting to have children in their 30s and even 40s. He suggests those women maintain a healthy lifestyle while they wait.

“I suspect with the population increasing in Texas over time, we’ll start to see the rates go up again,” Ramsey said. “But for now, at least, we see a drop across the country.”

CORRECTION: This article has been updated with a new image and to add the full title of Dr. Patrick Ramsey. (June 17, 2025)