DINKs and Their Gospel of Hedonism, by Emmy Griffin

“DINK” (Dual Income, No Kids) is an acronym that describes young couples, generally married, who have made the choice to not have children. They do so for many reasons, such as they want to diminish their environmental footprint or they don’t want to be like their parents and therefore won’t be parents at all. The most common reason, however, is the notion that being a DINK gives them freedom and autonomy that families with children don’t have. They can do what they want whenever they want because they aren’t bound by the needs of their children. Some of them contemptuously refer to those who choose the family route as “breeders.” This term is gross and dehumanizing.

Before we dive further into DINK-hood, let’s define it more specifically to exclude some very important groups. Young married couples who are enjoying being married but kids are still in the plans do not really qualify as DINKs. They are not anti-human, they are just enjoying that time before kids. For couples who cannot have children because of circumstances outside of their control, this term doesn’t apply to you either.  ….