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The Sweet, Sweet Life of America’s Dinks
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The Sweet, Sweet Life of America’s Dinks

Couples with two incomes and no kids are living it up like never before

Juliana Kaplan and Bartie Scott
Business Insider UK, 2024
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Business Insider’s Juliana Kaplan and Bartie Scott report on the emergence of a new social trend: dual-income couples with no kids (DINKs) have become a subgroup who can still afford the American Dream, in stark contrast to parents who face rising child care costs. With the social stigma of being child-free lessening since the 1970s, this lifestyle is becoming “aspirational” for younger people, as evident on social media. Even in the current economic landscape, couples without kids have an easier path to achieving a financially secure life now and through old age while enjoying varied and rich experiences – except parenthood.

Summary

Dual-income couples with no kids (DINKs) form a new class that can still afford the American Dream, while many parents are struggling.

Dual-income couples with no kids, referred to as DINKs, are becoming the modern embodiment of the American Dream. Members of this demographic are often able to save money and invest in financial assets while enjoying an attractive lifestyle.

Take Elizabeth Johnson and her husband, a child-free couple in Minneapolis. They don’t come from prosperous families. Now in their 30s, they have a shared income of slightly below $300,000 and a net worth of around $1.1 million. Johnson works as an occupational therapist, her husband is in banking, and they own a suburban townhome. The financial freedom and absence of child-rearing costs allow them to live a life full of varied experiences, including extensive travel, volunteering at a food bank, spending time with family, and going out regularly.

Meanwhile, the cost of raising a child has soared and now can amount to more than...

About the Authors

Both authors are on the economy team at Business Insider, where Juliana Kaplan is a senior labor and inequality reporter, and Bartie Scott is a deputy editor.

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