Making Babies:Choosing to have Children… …or not

Choosing to have Children

Pronatalist Bias: having children is taken for granted, while not having children needs to be justified

Why wouldn’t you have children?

Choosing not to have Children

Structural Antinatalism (Friedan):American society is insufficiently supportive of having children

*

*

*

Why have Children: the Value of Children PerspectiveCultural shift from children as economic asset to emotional investment- “a child to love”

* **

Social Capital Perspective

The anticipated social benefits as motivation

*

ADVANTAGES OF CHILDREN: ADVANTAGES OF CHILDREN: HoffmanHoffman

1. 1. AFFECTION / PRIMARY AFFECTION / PRIMARY GROUP GROUP TIES (63%)TIES (63%)

2. FUN / STIMULATION (58%) 2. FUN / STIMULATION (58%) 3. 3. EXPANSION OF SELF (34%)EXPANSION OF SELF (34%) 4. ADULT STATUS (21%)4. ADULT STATUS (21%)

DISADVANTAGES OF HAVING DISADVANTAGES OF HAVING CHILDRENCHILDREN1. 1. LOSS OF FREEDOM (51%)LOSS OF FREEDOM (51%)2. FINANCIAL COSTS (42%) 2. FINANCIAL COSTS (42%) 3. 3. OPPORTUNITY COSTSOPPORTUNITY COSTS• • economiceconomic • emotional• emotional

4. TENSION in RELATIONSHIP4. TENSION in RELATIONSHIP

Effects of having Children on Marriage(Picker)

• 33 to 50% experience distress after first child as high as couples in counseling

WHY?• Child Care pushes couples into traditional gender roles--Women take on majority of work

Solutions to Negative effect of children

(Gottman)Couples remain happy when…1.Husband admires his wife2.Keeps romance alive3.Understand wife’s inner life

Husband’s behavior most influential in marital satisfaction

NEW TRENDSRemaining Child Free* reasons why…Postponing Parenthood* 2-sided coin…One Child Families* the good and bad…

PREMARITAL PREGNANCIESPREMARITAL PREGNANCIES

• • 1940, unwed birthrate 1940, unwed birthrate less than 5% of total less than 5% of total birthsbirths

• • 2005, unwed birthrate 37%2005, unwed birthrate 37%of total birthsof total births

Older Single Older Single MothersMothers

1980 to 1998, Unwed 1980 to 1998, Unwed birthrates for women birthrates for women

•Women ages 30-34 increased Women ages 30-34 increased by more than 90%by more than 90%

Older Single Older Single MothersMothersWhite women’s rate White women’s rate increased by 128% increased by 128% while the increase was while the increase was only 20% among the only 20% among the same age-group of same age-group of black womenblack women

Teenage Teenage PregnanciesPregnancies• • unwed birth rate among unwed birth rate among teens decreasingteens decreasing

• • 2000 12% of all births2000 12% of all births• • 2000, 79% of teenage 2000, 79% of teenage births occurred outside births occurred outside of marriageof marriage

•Highest rates of teen Highest rates of teen pregnancy was in pregnancy was in 19501950