Why are Millennials and Gen Z Choosing Fur Babies Over Human Babies?

As of late, there has been an ongoing trend of people, specifically, millennials and Gen Z, opting out of parenthood, well for human kids anyways. Having a fur baby (dogs, cats, animals, etc.) seems to be the trend these days, and for good reason. In this time of economic uncertainty, questioning one’s finances and future is of utmost importance. There are many reasons for choosing pets over children but let’s start with the top three reasons this trend is happening.

3: People are waiting to get married

Now, you do not have to be married to have a child, but many wait until marriage before they even think about having a child. In 2020, the average age of marriage in the U.S. was 32 years old. This means that people have more time to decide if they truly want children or not.

The further cause of waiting to get married and have kids can also be linked to the cost of a wedding, which many people are realizing is too much if they hope to have children right away. Oftentimes, people adopt a pet in their 20s when they feel ready and do not feel the need to be married to own a pet.

2: Pets are easier to care for

Babies require constant care and attention. Sure, animals need to be taken care of as well, but they require much less time and energy, generally. Millennials and Gen Z are very busy today with school and their careers, if they want companionship their best bet is going to their local shelter to adopt a cat or dog. You can leave animals alone while you work, but you cannot leave an infant home alone to care for itself.

1: Babies are much more expensive than pets

On average, it costs $233,610 to raise a child from birth to the age of 18, which is about $12,980 a year. In comparison, owning a pet (cat or dog) costs anywhere between $300-$1,200 a year. That is nothing compared to raising a human or multiple humans. Still, people are willing to budget and care for a child. It can be hard financially to do so, and it can take some budgeting expertise. Cool Money Coach can help with that! Look on the website to find a variety of financial tools and individual financial coaching at coolmoneycoach.com

These are just three reasons that people are opting to have fur babies rather than human babies. People are waiting longer to settle down, they like less responsibility, and it is a heavy financial burden. Be sure to check out financial literacy websites like Cool Money Coach to help budget for your fur baby or your human baby!