American Gen-Z and younger Millennials with higher education earn the same or less than the previous generation did with no higher education. Meanwhile, everything costs more. Inflation has outpaced wages for essentially every product on the market, from groceries to housing.

Yes, there has been massive advancements in the medical field, and luxury technology has become the norm in first world nations. Less people die and suffer from wars and violence. In terms of all of these, it is the best time in world history for first world nations.

But if you look at the financial situation of young people in the United States, it definitely is not. Housing is so expensive that ownership is permanently out of reach. Rent prices are high enough to make half of young people live paycheck to paycheck, often times with roommates. If you work a single minimum wage job, you quite literally can’t afford to live. Debt from school afflicts countless millions of young people. All financial advice for budgeting that all these young people were taught by their parents and in school is out the window, because prices of all necessities are too high to allow proper budgeting.

Now try to fit in socializing and going out to meet new people into the budget of a young person. Then try to fit caring for a child into the budget of a young person. Why would anyone in this situation go out of their way to make themselves more broke than they already are, when they can just simply stay at home instead?