Only recently family bloggers have taken over our social media channels, sharing snippets of their idyllic lives, raising children and embracing parenthood.
And while “mom bloggers” are still popular, a new trend is catching on; the DINKs.
The acronym stands for Double Income, No Kids, and a growing number of young couples are identifying as part of the growing community and bragging about their lives of luxury online as a result.
Instead of spending their money on children, couples are sharing – or forgoing – all the benefits of putting off starting a family.
They spend lazy Sunday mornings in bed, having brunch and doing couples training. They eat 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, having brunch and doing couples training
Videos on TikTok under the hashtag DINK have garnered 164 million views, with thousands of comments from envious fans.
Speaking to Web, ‘DINK’ creator Mollie said that while she and her partner don’t plan to remain childless forever, they are embracing this chapter in their lives.
‘[Our days are] literally the way it’s meant to look, which is what we love so much and make the most of being “DINKS”.
“If we want to spontaneously go out or stay away, we can do that, or if we just want to relax and do nothing all day, just chill at home, we can.”
Mollie noted that many of the DINK perks can still be achieved with children, but there’s one less factor to consider when organizing.
“We love peaceful weekend brunches, chilling out, shopping, evenings out with friends and trips to art galleries or exhibitions, which we’ve learned from family members can be a lot more challenging with kids.”
Both she and her partner are only 25 and hope to start a family one day, but they also understand why some DINKs have no intention of having children.
“I think it’s really important to consciously absorb, recognize, appreciate and really enjoy those years of ‘freedom’ before making such a big and life-changing decision. It’s a chance to show gratitude for those years, living in the moment and recognizing elements of our lives that would drastically change or be impacted so much if and if we have children in the future.
The acronym DINK stands for Dual Income, No Kids, and more and more young couples are identifying as part of the growing community and bragging about their life of luxury online
There are several common themes among all couples who choose this lifestyle.
One of the many creators who said in a DINK marriage: “I am a child of free choice and I love my life. I have so much time for my hobbies, things I enjoy, my siblings’ children.
“I can have a cream sofa and know it won’t get dirty and nothing in my home will be sticky. I have baby plants, more money to travel, more time for my husband. It is wonderful.’
She added: “Double income, no kids lifestyle is awesome and I would recommend it.
“There are people like us who enjoy our lives and don’t feel the need to have tiny people.”
It’s the latest trend to sweep the platform after a number of business and lifestyle trends that preceded it.
And it speaks to changing societal trends and expectations
Instead of spending their money on children, couples share all the benefits of putting off starting a family – or forego it together
Millennials are marrying later in life or giving up altogether, while home ownership is also happening at an older age for most people and birth rates are falling.
On average, it costs up to £200,000 to raise a child under 18 in the UK without luxuries such as holidays, gifts or hobbies.
Matt Benfield, a self-proclaimed DINKWAD (dual income, no kids with dogs) from the US, told Business Insider that today’s generations simply “don’t have the money to support themselves, much less a child.”
“They can hardly afford the rent. They can barely afford utility bills like grocery bills are through the roof. This idea of the DINKWAD is that before you decide to have a child or anything else, you must take care of yourself first.’
Another creator said, “We decided to stay as DINKs for the foreseeable future because there are other things that we want to invest our money in and spend our money on before we have kids.”
They eat 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 to stay DINKs are: to travel more, invest in real estate, get a higher education, have more time for hobbies, or even something as simple as enjoying nice restaurants without fear.
DINKs are often the target of marketing efforts for luxury items than travel, as they often have higher disposable income, but others say they use their time as DINKs to prepare for the future.
One said: “I want kids someday, this won’t be our life forever so let’s save and move forward now.”
Another said: “Welcome to the DINK page of TikTok, where we travel cabin only, go on backpacking adventures, tour wineries, sleep in on the weekends, go to the spa and enjoy a hot coffee as we enjoy our final years without kids. ‘
DINK couples have also shared lifestyle pitfalls.
One woman, an academic and PhD student from the UK, said she struggles with the feeling that she “shows up” more for her friends’ successes than she does for her own.
“I’ve been in this type of relationship for five years. Everyone around me got married, had kids, and hit those milestones. We always showed up for people… It’s baby showers, gender traitors, we showed up with smiles and gifts all the time.
“We recently had our first milestone, our engagement, and people with kids really haven’t progressed for us the way we have for them over the past five years.”
Still, she said the benefits of her lifestyle outweigh any downsides. She and her partner had extra time as a couple to really understand each other’s love language, they traveled almost all over Europe and devoted a lot of time to hobbies and education.
And while the DINK trend is quickly gaining momentum online, there are some doubters who aren’t keen on the term.
“You have to have a label for everything,” said one critic.
‘So… just a normal married couple?’ asked another.