New Delhi, Dec. 18 -- For Dipshikha Bhattacharyya, a 43-year-old communication professional in Pune, and Sambit Pal, a 44-year-old journalist turned academician, the decision to not have children wasn't driven by financial considerations. It was a mutual, conscious choice rooted in the belief that they didn't want to bring a new life into the world unless they could do so with complete conviction. "Choosing to remain child-free has given us clarity about what we want our long-term financial life to look like," said Bhattacharyya.

Shreya Johri,a 30-year-old communications professional in Delhi, and Apoorv Murpana, a 29-year-old assistant director at a finance firm, echoed their views, saying the choice to not have children changed the way...