Is Having Children Worth It? | No Stupid Questions | Episode 98

With the average cost of raising a child hovering above six figures, childfree adults — and even parents — may wonder if having kids is really “worth it.” Weighing homeownership and college costs against the emotional returns of parenthood can make for a complex calculus, which only raises more questions: Why have fertility rates dropped so dramatically? Do fathers or mothers get more happiness from parenting? And how does birth order affect a child’s future? At the end of the day, is having children really worth it? Hosts Stephen J. Dubner and Angela Duckworth address these questions and more in this episode of No Stupid Questions from Freakonomics Radio Network. This episode was originally published May 8, 2022. For a full transcript, resources, and more, visit: https://freak.ws/3TmxKXn Angela Duckworth photo credit: Peaberry Photography Stephen Dubner photo credit: Troy Tuttle FOLLOW NO STUPID QUESTIONS: YouTube: https://freak.ws/3yIl6dl Apple Podcasts: https://freak.ws/3ELhWJR Spotify: https://freak.ws/3A90heR ABOUT NO STUPID QUESTIONS: Research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of Grit) and tech and sports executive Mike Maughan really like to ask people questions, and they believe there’s no such thing as a stupid one. So they have a podcast where they can ask each other as many “stupid questions” as they want. New episodes each week. ABOUT THE FREAKONOMICS RADIO NETWORK: Freakonomics began as a book, which led to a blog, a documentary film, more books, a pair of pants, and in 2010, a podcast called Freakonomics Radio. Hosted by Stephen J. Dubner, it’s one of the most popular podcasts in the world, with a reputation for storytelling that is both rigorous and entertaining. Its archive of more than 500 episodes is available, for free, on any podcast app, and the show airs weekly on NPR stations. Freakonomics Radio is now the flagship show of the Freakonomics Radio Network, which includes the podcasts No Stupid Questions, People I (Mostly) Admire, and The Economics of Everyday Things. FREAKONOMICS RADIO NETWORK PODCASTS: Freakonomics Radio: https://freakonomics.com/series/freakonomics-radio No Stupid Questions: https://freakonomics.com/series/nsq/ People I (Mostly) Admire: https://freakonomics.com/series/people-i-mostly-admire/ The Economics of Everyday Things: https://freakonomics.com/series/everyday-things/ Special series: https://freakonomics.com/topics/ CONNECT WITH US: NSQ@freakonomics.com https://twitter.com/NSQ_Show https://www.instagram.com/freakonomics/ https://www.facebook.com/freakonomics/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freakonomicsradio https://www.linkedin.com/company/freakonomics-media Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bKm0cf