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Recently, family bloggers have taken over our social media channels, sharing snippets of their idyllic lives raising children and embracing parenthood.
And while ‘blogging mummies’ are still popular, a new trend is taking hold; the DINKs.
The acronym stands for Double Income, No Children, and more and more young couples are identifying as part of the growing community and bragging about their lives of luxury online as a result.
Rather than spend their money on children, couples share all the benefits of putting off starting a family, or giving it all up.
They spend lazy Sunday mornings in bed, eating lunch and exercising as a couple. They dine in fancy restaurants and spend money on sweets that they don’t have to share with the little ones.
They spend lazy Sunday mornings in bed, eating lunch and exercising as a couple.
Videos on TikTok with the DINK hashtag amassed 164 million views, with thousands of comments from envious fans.
Speaking to MailOnline, ‘DINK’ creator Mollie said that while she and her partner don’t plan on being childless forever, they are embracing this chapter of their lives.
‘[Our days are] literally how we want it to look, which is what we so love and get the most out of being ‘DINKS’.
“If we want to spontaneously go out or stay away, we can, or if we just want to relax and do nothing all day, just relax at home, we can.”
Mollie noted that many of DINK’s benefits can still be achieved with children, but there is one less factor to consider when organizing.
‘We love quiet weekend lunches, breaks, shopping, nights out with friends and trips to art galleries or exhibitions which we have learned from family members can be much more challenging with the children involved.’
Both she and her partner are just 25 years old and hope to one day start a family, but they also appreciate why some DINKs have no intention of having children.
“I think it’s very important to really take in, acknowledge, appreciate and enjoy these years of ‘freedom’ before making such a big and life-changing decision.” It is an opportunity to show gratitude for these years, to live in the moment, and to acknowledge the elements of our lives that would drastically change or be so compromised if we had children in the future.”
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The acronym DINK stands for Double Income, No Children, and more and more young couples are identifying as part of the growing community and bragging about their lives of luxury online as a result.
There are several common themes among all couples who choose this lifestyle.
One of the many creators that in a DINK marriage said: ‘I am a free child by personal choice and I love my life. I have a lot of time to devote to my hobbies, things I enjoy, my brothers’ children.
‘I can have a cream sofa and know that it won’t get dirty and nothing in my house is sticky. I have baby plants, I have more money to travel, more time to spend with my husband. It is wonderful.’
She added: ‘Double the income, kid-free lifestyle is fantastic and I would recommend it.
“There are people like us who enjoy our lives and don’t feel the need to have little humans.”
It is the latest trend to sweep the platform after a series of economic and lifestyle trends that preceded it.
And it talks about changing trends and societal expectations.
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Instead of wasting their money on children, couples share all the benefits of putting off starting a family, or giving it all up together.
Millennials are marrying later in life or dropping out altogether, while home ownership also happens later in life for most people and birth rates have declined.
On average it costs up to £200,000 to raise a child up to the age of 18 in the UK, not including luxuries like holidays, gifts or hobbies.
Matt Benfield, a self-titled DINKWAD (dual income, no kids with dog) from the US, told Business Insider that today’s generations simply “don’t have the money to support themselves, let alone a child.”
They can barely pay the rent. They can barely afford utilities, like their grocery bills are through the roof. This DINKWAD idea is that you have to take care of yourself first before you go after a child or anything else.’
Another creator said, “We chose to remain DINK for the foreseeable future because there are other things we’d like to invest our money in and spend our money on before we have kids.”
They dine in fancy restaurants and spend money on sweets that they don’t have to share with the little ones.
Some of the most common reasons for staying DINK are; travel more, invest in property, get a higher education, spend more time on hobbies, or even something as simple as enjoying good restaurants without anxiety.
DINKs are often the target of marketing efforts for luxury items like travel, as they often have higher disposable income, but others say they are using their time as DINKs to prepare for the future.
One said, ‘I want kids eventually, this won’t be our life forever so we’re saving up and getting by now.’
Another said: “Welcome to the DINK side of TikTok, where we travel carry-on only, go on backpacking adventures, tour wineries, sleep in on the weekends, go to the spa, and enjoy a hot coffee while enjoying our senior years.” childless.
DINK couples have also been sharing the pitfalls of the lifestyle.
A UK woman academic and PhD student said she finds it hard to feel like she’s ‘showing up’ more for her friends’ successes than her own.
“I have been in this type of relationship for the last five years. Everyone around me has gotten married, had kids, reached these milestones. We’ve always introduced ourselves to people… It’s baby showers, gender reveals, we’d show up with a smile and gifts all the time.
“We recently had our first milestone, getting engaged, and people with children really didn’t turn out for us the way they have in the last five years.”
Still, he said the benefits of his lifestyle outweigh any drawbacks. She and her partner have had extra time as a couple to truly understand each other’s love language, have traveled almost all over Europe, and have devoted much time to their hobbies and education.
And while the DINK trend is taking off quickly online, there are some skeptics who aren’t enthusiastic about the term.
“Everyone has to have a label for everything,” said one reviewer.
‘So… just a normal married couple?’ asked another.