Like her sister, Elle Fanning 'definitely' wants to have children

Actress Elle Fanning shares her sister Dakota Fanning's desire to have children. In a recent interview with "Who What Wear," she spoke about her hope for the future, which includes building a family.

Key Takeaways:

• Actress Elle Fanning shared in an interview with "Who What Wear" that she "definitely" wants children and always has.

• She said she is constantly thinking about her future children.

• Her sister Dakota has shared in the past that she wants children as well, saying that having children is more important to her than her career.

The Details:

In the "Who What Wear" interview published on Tuesday, Elle Fanning, 27, said she and her boyfriend, Rolling Stone executive Gus Wenner (and son of Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner), have a "bright" future ahead. She said they have "been going on Zillow and looking at the Upper West and Upper East Side and the potential there [for a renovation project]."

She added, "I definitely do want kids. I've always wanted kids. I've know that since I was little."

Fanning also said she's been trying to be more present because she is always thinking ahead to the future.

"I'm thinking about, you know, just everything in the future. I'm thinking about kids that haven't even been born!" she said. "It's like, 'What am I doing? This is way too many steps ahead."

Her sister Dakota, 31, has made similar comments. In a 2024 interview with Porter, she shared that having children is more important to her than keeping her career.

“Being an actor is a huge part of my identity,” she explained. “I don’t really know who I would be without it. But I also have a desire to set up my life and career so that I always have a choice. Having kids is probably more important to me than anything, even being an actor. If somebody said I had to choose, I would choose having kids. I’m one of those people who has always felt that pull.”

Why It Matters:

The fertility rate is in a steady decline in the U.S. (as well as globally) as Americans have fewer children. There is a lingering threat that the death rate will surpass the birth rate by just 2030 — four short years away.

The Congressional Budget Office predicts the fertility rate will drop to 1.53 births per woman in 2026, well below the 2.1 needed to maintain a population. Immigrants to America tend to have higher birth rates than women born in the U.S.

Reasons for declining births:

• Women have been advised for decades to prioritize their careers over having children, which often results in fewer children — often a result of contraception or abortion.

• Women's fertility declines with each passing year; the longer women put off having children, the harder it becomes to conceive.

• The false belief that motherhood is an obstacle to a woman's success is pervasive.

• It has become popular to complain about children — on airplanes, in restaurants, at hotels, or just out in the world — with couples openly celebrating being DINKS (double income, no kids).

• The children raised under an umbrella of negativity surrounding parenthood, marriage, and family life are not eager to enter that life. The now-young adults of America lived through their parents' divorces, listened to the criticisms and complaints of family life, and want little to do with it.

The Bottom Line:

It is a breath of fresh air to hear Elle and Dakota Fanning discuss their hopes for having children and building families. With Dakota already in her 30s and Elle in her late-20s, hopefully they will realize that fertility doesn't last forever, and that there's no reason to put off creating a stable marriage and family.