Times they are a’ changin’—at least when it comes to the fertility
of American women aged 15 to 55. U.S. Census Bureau numbers reveal that record
numbers of women are choosing not to have kids, and many women who do give
birth are making non-traditional decisions about motherhood.
In 2006, 20 percent of women between the ages of 40 and 44
had no children, compared with 10 percent in the 1970s. And modern mothers
in their early 40s have an average of 1.9 children, compared with 3.1 in 1976. Consistent throughout the years has been the fact that women
whose education ended after high school are more likely to have
kids than women with advanced degrees.
Of women who do have children, stay-at-home moms are in the minority.
60 percent of mothers work outside of the home, and 36 percent of women with
children are single, while 5 percent have a live-in partner. (Keep in mind that no Census data recognizes same-sex
marriage.)
"It used to be sort of expected that there was a phase
of life where you had children, and a lot of women aren't doing that now,"
Jane Lawler Dye, the study’s researcher said of the findings. I would argue that there is
certainly still strong social pressure to have children. Perhaps women who opt out of motherhood are no longer
considered freaks of nature, but my childless friends in their early 30s
can hardly go to the grocery store without getting grilled on when they're planning to have kids.
Photo: Working Mothers Forum
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