Kim Kardashian's disclosure that she employs five nannies for her four children has ignited a debate about parenting among the ultra-wealthy, yet even more extreme childcare arrangements exist in this world.
Kardashian's childcare revelation
In a 2022 interview with Variety, Kardashian offered her best advice for women in business: "Get your fucking ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days." The billionaire faced criticism for the comment, but few can accuse her of hypocrisy, given the effort required to transform a sex tape into lasting fame and a business empire.
Despite preaching hard work, the Skims co-founder outsources less glamorous domestic tasks. She has primary custody of her four children with ex-husband Kanye West and, according to an interview with the Sunday Times, employs five nannies: "One nanny on duty, four on rotation." She reportedly still handles the school run despite having more nannies than children.
Judging mothers, ignoring fathers
The news about Kardashian's nannies has caused a stir, largely because people enjoy judging how a woman mothers while ignoring the father. The columnist admits to initial judgment but concedes that if she could afford to outsource parenthood's boring parts, she would, noting that running yourself ragged doesn't make you a better mother.
Yet, the columnist questions the point of having four kids if you don't have time to parent them all, especially since the third and fourth children were born via surrogate due to complications in earlier pregnancies.
Extreme procreation among billionaires
Compared to some other billionaires, four children is modest. Russian-born tech mogul Pavel Durov has more than 100 biological children in 12 countries via sperm donation. Chinese billionaire Xu Bo reportedly has more than 100 children via surrogates, and Elon Musk has 14 known children.
Meanwhile, for many others, affording children is increasingly difficult. A 2024 Pew Research Center study found that among adults under 50 unlikely to have kids, 36% cited costs as a key factor. Large families, once linked to lower economic status, are now becoming a status symbol among the wealthy, albeit one that will grow up demanding therapy.
