'I'd Rather Regret Not Having Kids Than Regret Having Them': Single, Child-Free Women Are Getting Richer

The cost of raising children in the U.S. has reached staggering heights — leading more people to reconsider that life-altering step.

But the financial payoff is even greater for single, child-free women than it is for their male counterparts, according to new research reported by Bloomberg, and it comes with additional benefits as well.

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Per the research from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, single women without kids had an average of $65,000 in wealth in 2019 while single, child-free men had an average of $57,000. Single mothers had just $7,000 in reserve.

The general fertility rate in the U.S. was already at a record low before the pandemic began, according to the Pew Research Center, and many speculated that Covid-19-induced quarantines would result in a baby boom — but, in fact, it's been more of a baby bust.

Not only does being child-free leave single women with significantly more in their bank accounts, but it also gives them the freedom to live a life of their own design. For some, like 43-year-old Ashley Marrero of New York, that means investing in beachfront properties or traveling the world.

"[Not having children] should have nothing to do with your happiness," Marrero told Bloomberg. "You can be so happy going this route, too."

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Anna Dickenson, 41, who is also child-free and travels with many of the same mutual friends that Marrero does, agrees wholeheartedly.

"I'd rather regret not having kids than regret having them," she told the outlet.