While the term was first coined in the US in the 1980s, it has surged in popularity on social media in recent years, with couples posting online about how their disposable income allows them to prioritise Negronis over nappies and lavish holidays over childcare fees.<\/p>\n
However, the lifestyle trend is rooted in real concerns about the soaring costs of bringing up children<\/a> in the UK today.<\/p>\n In 2025, the cost of raising a child to 18 was \u00a3250,000 for a couple and \u00a3290,000 for a lone parent, according to charity Child Poverty Action Group.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d consider having children if we were millionaires and I could hire nannies to bring on holiday, weekly cleaners and a chef to cook our meals,\u201d says Ali.<\/p>\n Instead of spending on children, the couple spends on holidays and looking after their two dogs.<\/p>\n The Amsterdam-based couple say children would mean sacrificing the lifestyle they\u2019ve spent years building – Rebeca Hale<\/p>\n They have even created a social network platform for other child-free couples, DINK Social, which launched in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen all of your female friends are having babies, it can be isolating as you see them connect over this shared interest,\u201d says Ali.<\/p>\n Financial independence<\/p>\n There are 4.1 million Sinks (single income, no kids) and Dinks in the UK, according to insurance provider Legal & General.<\/p>\n Emma Myatt, 30, and her husband, 31, met in the last year of secondary school and have been together since.<\/p>\n The couple bought a home in Rugby when they were 20 and 21 years old, well below the national average for first-time buyers, which is 34 according to Skipton Group. Their house cost \u00a3150,000, which they purchased on their own.<\/p>\n While friends were beginning to enter early adulthood, they quickly learnt the value of financial stability.<\/p>\n Emma Myatt and her husband are choosing travel and financial stability over parenthood<\/p>\n \u201cWe had freedom at such a young age. It made us realise how much things cost,\u201d Myatt says. From then, they decided they weren\u2019t prepared to sacrifice their disposable income on children.<\/p>\n The pair prioritise using their shared income of \u00a350,000 to jet away on holidays to Bali and the US.<\/p>\n Myatt will never entertain motherhood, saying: \u201cOnce you become a parent, you are a different person. I wouldn\u2019t be known as Emma; it would be Mummy.\u201d<\/p>\n Fertility rates<\/a> in England and Wales are languishing at their lowest levels since records began in 1938.<\/p>\n Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the average number of children per woman of childbearing age has dropped to 1.41, far below the 2.1 needed to sustain population levels.<\/p>\n For Myatt and her husband, the financial benefits are clear.<\/p>\n The couple plan to pay off their mortgage by the time they\u2019re 50<\/a> so they can retire early. They have also spoken about moving out of the UK entirely, which they feel they couldn\u2019t do with children.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad my husband and I are on the same page,\u201d she says. \u201cWe have such a strong marriage, and I worry bringing a child into it might change that.\u201d<\/p>\n Avoiding the poverty cycle<\/p>\n For some childless families, turning their backs on parenthood is a way to escape the scarcity trap they themselves grew up in.<\/p>\n Georgia Smith* is a 42-year-old business consultant living in Sheffield and has been with her husband for 15 years. They have a household income of \u00a3100,000.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always known I didn\u2019t want children,\u201d Smith says. \u201cI went to school on a council estate, and all the children were in various forms of unhappiness from poverty.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seemed like having children could get you stuck in a poverty cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n According to latest estimates, around 4.5 million children are living in poverty in the UK \u2013 some 31pc of all children.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a neighbour that lived next door. She had dogs for children, went on holidays and had a professional job. I wanted that life.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw an example of how my life could be different and realised that I didn\u2019t have to follow in the footsteps of everyone else on the estate.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith and her husband choose to focus their time on travelling and fitness. \u201cGoing to the gym during child pick-up is the perfect time to go,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n She feels her life is fulfilling without children: \u201cI contribute to society in a different way. I\u2019m training to become a therapist.\u201d<\/p>\n Delaying family plans<\/p>\n For some, having children is still a possibility, but rising living costs have delayed plans.<\/p>\n Lauren Thorpe, 28, met Charlie Short, 27, when they were in their early twenties. One of the first questions on her list was if he would be happy to wait at least a decade to have children. He was on the same page.<\/p>\n Lauren Thorpe: \u2018I want to build and experience a life before bringing another one in\u2019 – Asadour Guzelian<\/p>\n The average age of parents in the UK has been rising steadily since the mid-1970s.<\/p>\n According to the ONS, women born in 1978 had an average of one child per woman by the time they were 31. But for women born in 2007 who turned 18 in 2025, they are projected to have an average of one child per woman by the age of 35.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to build and experience a life before bringing another one in,\u201d Thorpe, a former early-years teacher turned TikTok financial influencer and charity fundraiser, says.<\/p>\n With Short\u2019s salary as a lineworker, their household income is around \u00a365,000 a year. However, they feel an income of \u00a3120,000 would be suitable for raising a family in their home in Sheffield.<\/p>\n \u201cWe like our life \u2013 we\u2019ve only been in our own home for three years,\u201d Thorpe explains. \u201cI want to build a nest egg<\/a> so I feel ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Their monthly expenses come to \u00a32,000 a month, including mortgage payments, food and transport.<\/p>\n A lot of the couple\u2019s friends aren\u2019t in long-term relationships, nor do they have children of their own \u2013 making their decision easier to maintain.<\/p>\n \u201cMy parents always said you may as well have them young, but I don\u2019t believe in that,\u201d says Thorpe.<\/p>\n *Name has been changed.<\/p>\n *Please note that by submitting your content to us, you are consenting to The Telegraph processing your personal data where required by law. 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