This Study Shows Why People Get So Upset By Those Who Choose Not To Have Kids

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Have you ever told someone you didn’t want to have kids and felt judged for it? Well, chances are you probably were — according to a new study, some people become morally outraged by those who decide to go childless.

Honestly, in today’s day and age, it’s not surprising that less people want to have kids. Children are expensive, the economy is suffering and honestly, I don’t blame anyone who wants to bring kids into this shit show of a world. Does it really surprise you that childlessness is at an all-time low?

But that doesn’t change the fact that some people are furious about the fact that some people — both men and women — just don’t want to have kids. Psychologist Leslie Ashburn-Nardo decided to look at the stigma attached to this decision, and she found that people not only disapproved of childlessness, but were morally outraged about it.

So, what does this mean? Apparently, there are some people who believe we, as human beings, are obligated to build traditional family units and help the rest of us pious beings populate the Earth. In fact, not doing so is immoral and wrong.

It’s an interesting look into the stigma of childlessness and also kind of explains why my mother is always furious whenever I say, “Maybe I don’t want to have kids.”

While it’s easy to judge people’s life choices, here’s my hot take: you shouldn’t care what other people choose to do with their lives. So what if someone doesn’t want to have kids? So what if someone wants to have them? That’s a life choice they’re going to have to live with, not you, and you have little room for judgment. Because honestly, there are so many reasons for someone to not want to have kids: careers, financial reasons, health reasons and, honestly, moral responsibility. Because if you know you won’t be able to give your child the life they deserve, or if you aren’t comfortably bringing a kid into today’s social and political climate, you shouldn’t be blamed for it.

It’s not a stigma that will be easy to overcome, unfortunately, but it’s something we should work on defeating every day. So instead of focusing on how things “should” be, let’s focus on how things are — and let’s try our best not to judge people in the process.