India, Oct. 29 -- Once upon a time, having children was the obvious next step in life. You got married, had kids, raised them and eventually let them decide which old-age home you deserved. Not anymore.

Welcome to the era of voluntary childlessness. Where several Generation Z and late Millennials, armed with oat milk, therapy-speak and an excellent Wi-Fi connection, have united in saying: "Kids? Nah, we are good."

The world is on fire (literally and figuratively)

Their reasons are many - and not entirely unreasonable. They look around and see climate change, inflation and global conflict. They notice job insecurity and artificial intelligence taking over human intelligence. They ask: "Why would I bring a child into this mess?" It is a ...