Bad Time for Babies?
America’s birthrate is at its “lowest point in 25 years,” USA Today reported, blaming the “poor economy” and the hesitance of women in their 20s to have children for the declining numbers.
“As the economy tanked, the average number of births per woman fell 12 percent from a peak of 2.12 in 2007,” USA Today said. Citing data from a Virginia company which tracks birth rates nationally, the paper said the U.S. birthrate is expected to reach 1.86 next year, “the lowest since 1987.”
A researcher for the Council on Contemporary Families told USA Today: “This is probably a long-term trend that is exacerbated by the recession but also by the general hollowing out of middle-class jobs. There’s a growing sense that college is prohibitively expensive, and yet your kids can’t make it without a college degree,” leading many families to have a single child.
Do you know anyone who put off having a child because of the economy?
08.28.12
Not in my world. The joke at work is the minority is who has not had a baby in the last 2 years. A lot are now pregnant with a second. I work corporate - 400+ employees. I think the problem with this article is they are referring to women in their 20's. For the educated or do I mean overly educated, first time mothers are in their 30's and 40's
08.15.12
We certainly are not even considering another child until we can make sure DH can secure a job when he gets out of the military. Also I still want to go back to school and finish my degree.