Perhaps you, as a couple, made a conscious decision not to have children – or you just don’t want the offspring to work out. No matter what applies to you: Surely you are often asked about a potential baby. Many couples prove that you can be happy without children. We tell you why.

Do children make you happy?

Some cannot imagine life without children, others not with them. The question of whether children make you happy cannot therefore be answered with "yes" or "no". Rather, it is a very individual feeling. According to a study by Michigan State University, there is no difference in life satisfaction between those who have children and those who make a conscious decision not to have children.

Goodbye Baby: What are possible reasons for deciding not to have children?

Some couples make a conscious decision not to have children. Some of the reasons you might be doing this include:

Professional career: child or career? Actually, nobody should have to ask themselves this question in 2022. Nevertheless, there are jobs that are difficult to reconcile with children. For example, if you travel the world several times a month for your job, you usually have neither the time nor the capacity for a child. Finances: Even if it sounds anything but romantic, children cost money. Statistics put the sum up to the age of majority at around 150,000 euros. That's a lot of money. You have to be able to afford children to a certain extent. Our lifestyle: here today, gone tomorrow. Some people just don't feel comfortable being in the same place for too long. Backpacking through Thailand? Camping in the rough nature of Norway? There's no question, they'll be there immediately! Children in such cases simply do not fit their lifestyle. Time: The issue of time also plays a major role for many couples when they make a conscious decision not to have children. Because without children, they can spend their free time independently and spontaneously, while children always entail a certain obligation. Environmental awareness: About 12 percent of women state that they do not want to have children for reasons of environmental protection. They want to protect the climate by not putting another person into the overpopulated world who consumes important resources. Be sure to listen to our podcast episode on this topic!

Will we be happy as a couple without a child?

Are you still childless and want to stay that way? Then you're bound to ask yourself sometimes whether you'll be happy as a couple without having children. Unfortunately, we cannot see into the future either. Of course, it may be that having a child just feels unimaginable for you at the moment - and in a few years you will feel very differently about it. The only tip we can give you: Talk openly about your desire to have children or to remain childless. Because nothing is more harmful than a relationship in which one partner sacrifices himself for the other. Do you actually want a child and your partner categorically rejects it? Then you should think twice about whether you want to sacrifice your desire to have children for the sake of the partnership.

Childless and happy: why do we have to justify ourselves so often?

You both agree: We don't want children. And that's a decision that everyone should actually accept. Nevertheless, couples who do not want to have children are often looked at in a wrong way. Comments like...

"That's coming, you'll see!" "And who will take care of you when you're old and need support?" "What's the point of your life then please?"

... are just a few that childless couples often have to listen to. It might help if you explain to the other person the reasons why you want to remain childless. If that doesn't help, it's best to switch to draft. Nobody has to justify themselves because of their self-chosen lifestyle.

How many couples are childless in Germany?

According to Statista, around 9.7 million German couples were childless in 2019. That's even more than with a child. That number is around 8.1 million. So you see: there are a lot of childless couples in Germany!

Of course, childlessness can also have other reasons: For many couples, the desire to have their own baby simply does not come true “naturally”. That is of course a completely different matter. Maybe you are in exactly this situation and therefore ask yourself the question: Can we as a couple be happy without children, even though we wish for nothing more? If you can't shake the thought of having a baby of your own, you should consider the options that fertility clinics have in store for you. If this is not an option (anymore), then you have to learn to let go of the desire to have children and to see that your own happiness in life does not only depend on children. You can find expert tips for this here.