Maclean’s March cover story about the rise of the single-child family, published late last week, struck a major chord with readers. The article is a sweeping look at the country’s declining birth rate and the reasons parents are having just one kid: housing anxiety, prohibitive childcare costs, fertility issues and the pressure of balancing careers with family life. Many readers told us—and confessed on social media—that they saw themselves in the article.
Courtney Shea, who wrote the story and is herself the parent of a singleton, describes the factors that led to her own decision and lays out the potential ripple effects of a low birth rate. Readers could relate to Shea’s experience. “This woman is basically me,” said one commenter in a robust Reddit discussion. Another reader wrote: “I live in Toronto where the cost of living is high. Despite us both having good incomes, if we had a second, we would have to sacrifice vacations, going out to restaurants and doing paid activities. We thought about what we wanted for our life and realized we didn’t want to make that sacrifice.”
If you haven’t read “The Rise of the One-and-Done Family,” I encourage you to take a look. It’s an insightful portrait of parenthood today and the forces that will shape Canada’s future.
—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief
