If you’re looking at people in developed countries where more kids doesn’t necessarily mean more labor, the difference can also be somewhat explained by religion and quality of life concerns. Extremely religious people in the us, who tend to be less educated and have lower incomes, may not believe in contraception and believe that “god will provide”. That may sound like an exaggeration, but I personally know someone with 7 kids who cannot afford to feed them but thinks that they will go to hell if they use condoms and denying their husband is also a sin somehow. They just talk about how god intended for their family to struggle. That’s not a mindset you generally see in high income families.
The other factor is quality of life (and yes, education). If you’re making enough to afford a home and a good education for 1-2 children, you may be looking to give your child a good life and a good springboard for their future. If you know that no matter what you do, you will never be able to afford a college education for your child, then that makes having a child “less expensive” in that regard. You know you won’t be able to afford sports or extracurricular activity equipment, or new clothes, so while a family earning more may spend a smaller percentage of their income on any single child, the resources they are expecting to be able to provide them increase. A lot of low income families may have the approach that if a child is fed they’ve done the thing. Check mark on parenting for the day. If that’s the approach to parenting then it’s less resource intensive than a more involved approach that some high income families may have. I want to be clear that this is not a moral failing or some kind of judgement being passed. I think a lot of people don’t realize the day to day of very low income families. There are still people in the US raising families with no access to electricity or even running water. They have a very different background and understanding of what a family looks like. I don’t think they are inherently evil for having more kids and being unable to provide for them in the way others may expect, but I also think that’s not an excuse to allow children to live in unsafe conditions. I legitimately believe that if we had better education in low income and rural areas that you’d see this disparity drop, as they learn the different options education can provide and strive to ensure their own children get the best education and support possible.
If you’re looking at people in developed countries where more kids doesn’t necessarily mean more labor, the difference can also be somewhat explained by religion and quality of life concerns. Extremely religious people in the us, who tend to be less educated and have lower incomes, may not believe in contraception and believe that “god will provide”. That may sound like an exaggeration, but I personally know someone with 7 kids who cannot afford to feed them but thinks that they will go to hell if they use condoms and denying their husband is also a sin somehow. They just talk about how god intended for their family to struggle. That’s not a mindset you generally see in high income families.
The other factor is quality of life (and yes, education). If you’re making enough to afford a home and a good education for 1-2 children, you may be looking to give your child a good life and a good springboard for their future. If you know that no matter what you do, you will never be able to afford a college education for your child, then that makes having a child “less expensive” in that regard. You know you won’t be able to afford sports or extracurricular activity equipment, or new clothes, so while a family earning more may spend a smaller percentage of their income on any single child, the resources they are expecting to be able to provide them increase. A lot of low income families may have the approach that if a child is fed they’ve done the thing. Check mark on parenting for the day. If that’s the approach to parenting then it’s less resource intensive than a more involved approach that some high income families may have. I want to be clear that this is not a moral failing or some kind of judgement being passed. I think a lot of people don’t realize the day to day of very low income families. There are still people in the US raising families with no access to electricity or even running water. They have a very different background and understanding of what a family looks like. I don’t think they are inherently evil for having more kids and being unable to provide for them in the way others may expect, but I also think that’s not an excuse to allow children to live in unsafe conditions. I legitimately believe that if we had better education in low income and rural areas that you’d see this disparity drop, as they learn the different options education can provide and strive to ensure their own children get the best education and support possible.