Sure, we’ve traded in plastic bags for canvas grocery totes, seriously considered buying a Prius, and on a good day, perfectly separate aluminum and cardboard for recycling. But is the next big green crusade really anti-reproduction?
The truuconfessions community was buzzing this recently about Kara Jinsella’s babble.com article on population control. As a twenty-something with no children, I was struck by Kara’s statement that: “It’s certainly not uncommon to hear women in their twenties and thirties say that they are not sure they want to have children partly because they’re worried about being earth-friendly.” I’m sure this is accurate, but I can’t say it is a sentiment shared by anyone I know. When my friends talk about not having children, it has a lot more to do with the logistics of raising a child in a crowded city apartment than a crowded world. And while we can all try to buy organic and reduce our carbon footprint, it seems unlikely that women will opt out of childrearing on green principle alone.
Living green has been the rallying cry of the past few years—and don’t get me wrong, it is still a major focus today—but it has been firmly eclipsed by the current economic woes. People aren’t swapping $4 lattes for home-brewed coffee because they are worried about wasting paper cups. Their conservation is simply a by-product of the new age of lean consumerism. Living within one’s means now translates to more people buying less, spending smarter, and finding value.
Does the end of the Hummer lifestyle mean an end to big families? That’s debatable, but members of the truuconfessions community were adamant about the need for individuals to provide comfortably for their children. There is no barometer to gauge what is deemed “comfortable” but it is clear that financial stability is a benchmark for many women, while few felt as strongly that the protecting the environment should play a part in the decision of whether or not to have children.
In the end, eco-activists who advocate for population control might get exactly what they want but not because women are enamored with idea of saving Mother Earth by not becoming mothers. Instead, their decision might be based on the dominating green issue of the day—money.
Originally published on truuconfessions. Kate Childs publishes books in New York City.
