A recent report, based on the latest census figures, shows that more American women are choosing not to have children. Twice as many older women are childless today compared to those in the 1970's, and those numbers are expected to rise significantly over the coming decades. What has caused this shift? Apparently education and economics are the primary movers, or it just means more of us have given in to the impulse to murder our husbands and drown our children.
The more educated a woman is, the more likely she is to be childless. Education provides more options for women, and children are seen as less important for a sucessful marriage. Economics and the increasing costs of raising children certainly factor in to the decision to procreate as well as the number of times that we have unprotected sex after a drunken party. In years past, childcare was often provided by members of the extended family. But that situation is much rarer today, despite the high number of Baby Boomers. Today's grandparents aren't as stupid as their ancestors. As soon as the kids get married, we sell the family home and move to a tax haven state like Florida or Delaware, whichever is further away.
This sea-change might be good if it actually resulted in a drop in population and, therefore, less strain on the nation's resources. Yet the country's population continues to grow, thanks to immigration (both legal and illegal), and overall birth rates.
To me, the frightening part of all this is WHO is choosing to remove themselves from the future generational pool: the more educated, more affluent women. Does it mean that every woman with an advanced degree and money would be a great parent? And, conversely, are poor, uneducated women bad parents? Of course not. But as academic test scores continue to decline, parents spend more time at their jobs out of economic necessity, and kids spend the dwindling family time attached to ipods and ipads, I'm afraid of the fallout.
Interestingly, if I were 20-25 years old again, I would choose to be single, pursing a professional career, and not sure if I really wanted kids. So, yes, I'm worried about me when I return for my second life. Maybe I'll even laugh when I read this then-prehistoric blog posting.
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6 comments:
Funnily, I was talking to my kids today and one said, "But you have to have children if you're married." "No, actually," I began, and gave them what I congratulated myself on being a nuanced, honest, yet age appropriate explanation both of kids out of wedlock (old-fashioned term) and the child-free movement. Then I sat back and tried to prepare myself for any one of a number of possible questions.
"Why?" they cried in unison, "would anyone choose *not* to have children?"
Hey, I agree with 'em ;)
This reminds me of Idiocracy - a pretty terrible movie but I thought the intro was brilliant. Only th uneducated people were having babies because the educated ones had been "taught" not to. Thus only the low intelligence people procreated and filled the world with idiots.
I often wonder why people in certain regions, states or countries talk about how they want to increase population. I'm fine with fewer people around.
Usually it's the days when I'm most frustrated with the demands on my time that I wonder what it would be like without kids. Sometimes life seems like brief periods of happiness interspersed between the mountains of sh*t.
Now that my life is mostly childless I find myself enjoying the power that being able to say 'No' gives me. I never avtually SAY it, but just like He Man, I have the power!
I am glad that I had my son, even though it was a bad marriage and ultimately I had to raise him as a single parent who was poor most of the time. Not to mention, even though he died at the age of 24. Grief! :'( I am still glad for the time I had him. He was sort of my alter-ego. I personally would not have been fulfilled as a human being had I never been a mother and never had that particular kid. Each woman must make her own choice; that was just mine. In my next life, I am going to have kids AND be an accomplished, creative person. That's the plan!
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