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Like any multibillion industry, parenthood took a hit in the recession. A 2009 FindLaw study found one in five Americans are delaying “major life decisions” like getting married and having children because of the poor economy.

No wonder: It costs $190,000 to raise a child from infancy to high school graduation, according to U.S. government data. College, health insurance, and additional post-graduation expenses can easily double that bill. And then there are the emotional costs. In a happiness survey that appeared in Science magazine in 2004, mothers ranked their enjoyment in taking care of children below exercising and making meals and just above housework and working. Maybe that’s why the number of women ages 40 to 44 without children has doubled in the last 30 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

But parenting should thrive in an age of austerity, says Bryan Caplan, an economics professor at George Mason University, and author of the new book Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Parent Is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think.

via Parenting Is Overrated: Why the Secret to Happier Parents Is Doing Less – Nicole Russell – Business – The Atlantic.