Open Floor Plans Are Killing the American Family
October 10, 2025
Talk to enough people of family-starting age, and you’re likely to hear the complaint that the right house is too expensive—or doesn’t exist. A decent house would mean either a 90-minute commute or a move to a city with no jobs.
Along with childcare and education expenses, housing costs were one of the most prevalent factors named among Americans under 40 interested in starting families, according to an Institute for Family Studies survey conducted last year. Twenty-five percent of respondents cited housing costs, while just 8 percent reported lack of supportive family policy as an issue and 10 percent identified debt burdens.
