The Guardian has a story today about a new trend. Platonic or elective co-parenting is a new way of having and raising children which involves two people conceiving (naturally or artificially) and taking joint physical, financial and emotional responsibility for raising them, but without being romantically involved.
Whether it's because they want to raise a child without being involved in a romantic relationship, or because they feel like their biological clock is ticking and they haven't yet found Mr. or Mrs. Right, a growing number of people are turning to specialized websites like PollenTree or Modamily to find likeminded people to raise children with without any romantic strings attached.
The rising popularity of platonic co-parenting is seen by experts as a consequence of many people's realization that the person you have kids with doesn't have to be the person you grow old with or even someone you live with.