"DINK" is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

that stands for "double income, no kids" or "dual income, no kids". It describes a couple without children living together while both partners are receiving an income; because both of their wages are coming into the same household, they are free to live more comfortably than couples who live together and spend their money on raising their children. The term was coined at the height of

yuppie Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...

culture in the 1980s. The

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

solidified this social trend, as more couples waited longer to have children or chose not to have children at all.

Disadvantages

Households without children in the United States aren't eligible for many government

subsidies A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

. For example, households with children in the United States receive tax credits such as the

child tax credit A child tax credit (CTC) is a tax credit for parents with dependent children given by various countries. The credit is often linked to the number of dependent children a taxpayer has and sometimes the taxpayer's income level. For example, in t ...

Variations

"DINKY" means "double income, no kids yet", implying that the couple in question is childless only temporarily and intends to have children later, rather than eschewing having children entirely. The British radio sitcom ''

Double Income, No Kids Yet ''Double Income, No Kids Yet'' is a British radio sitcom written by David Spicer and originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from June 2001 to November 2003. There were three series of six episodes each starring David Tennant as Daniel and Elizabet ...

'' bore this name. "GINK" means "green inclinations, no kids", referring to those who choose not to have children for environmental reasons. "DINKWAD" means "Double income, no kids, with a dog" Some marketers have proposed "yappie" ("young

affluent Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an I ...

parent", adapted from "yuppie") as a term to describe similar couples who do have children.

References

Acronyms Family Social class subcultures Upper class 1980s neologisms Childfree {{Word-stub

Disadvantages

Variations

See also

References