Childbearing. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 (If you do not already,) do you intend to have a child someday? 1. YES 2. NO 3. Not sure 1234567891011121314151617181920

Childbearing

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003

(If you do not already,) do you intend to have a child someday?

YES No

Not s

ure

33% 33%33%1. YES

2. NO

3. Not sure

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50


How many children do you WANT to have?

17%

17%

17%17%

17%

17%

0 1 2 3 4 More than 4

1. 0

2. 1

3. 2

4. 3

5. 4

6. More than 4

0 of 50


Although you may want to have more, how many children do you realistically think you will have?

17%

17%

17%17%

17%

17%

0 1 2 3 4 More than 4

1. 0

2. 1

3. 2

4. 3

5. 4

6. More than 4

0 of 50


Childbearing Trends in the U.S.

Measures of Childbearing- FERTILITY: COMPARE YEARLY NUMBER OF BIRTHS TO

THE NUMBER OF WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE (15-44) IN THE POPULATION.

- General fertility rate: in 2000 general fertility rate was 67.5 births per 1000 women in the US

- In 2000 4,059,786 babies born in US (one of the most ever) – however fertility rate is down – number of women up.


2.13 babies / woman total fertility rate U.S today

Total Fertility Rate: predicts total number of births that each woman in the population would have if the current year’s fertility patterns continued Replacement rate is 2.11 (because of death of

infants and children) In 2000 in US first time above replacement level

in 30 years


demography

The study of populations

Total fertility rate is HIGH in the US compared to other wealthy nations

However, this is a lower rate than in the past in US Biggest decline during the 1930s Biggest increase in baby boom after WWII


Why have the average number of births per woman declined over past 200 years U.S.?

Children are no longer an economic asset Women marry later High divorce rate Middle class women in labor force In past women had little control over their

fertility Today birth control is common place Most people have the number of children

that they want to have – generally this is no more than 2


Why do you want to have children?

I don

’t w

ant t

o

Not s

ure, g

uess

it is

j...

They a

re c

ute

To love

som

eone

We

are

supp

osed

to (r

...

Other

reas

on…

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%1. I don’t want to

2. Not sure, guess it is just expected

3. They are cute

4. To love someone

5. We are supposed to (religious)

6. Other reason…

0 of 50


Decision to have children Why do people have children?

Personal reward and satisfaction (LOVE!) They are a novelty, fun, exciting, stimulating Give parents primary ties, affection Parents feel like an adult

Social pressure to do so PRONATALIST Tax deductions IMAGES show children in positive manner (media)

Religious pressure Seen as sacred duty

CULTURAL PRESS FOR CHILDBEARING 90% of people over 40 have children


Why do some people decide NOT to have children? They__

0 of 50

17%

17%

17%17%

17%

17%

are selfish

are socially responsible

can’t afford them

have other things to do (career)

aren’t interested in children

don’t want to change their marriage

1. are selfish

2. are socially responsible

3. can’t afford them

4. have other things to do (career)

5. aren’t interested in children

6. don’t want to change their marriage


Why do people decide not to have children?

COSTS! (literal, psychological, emotional) MONEY

Estimate that a child born in 1997 will cost parents between $220,00 and $440,00 by age 18

Parents with a combined income of more than $59,000 will spend on average around $430,000

Paying for college – ugh Money not big factor in decision for first and second

kid (third child is another story)


More deterrents

Parents lose freedom, increase role segregation, increased anxiety, fear of the unknown

Women lost career opportunities (pay, promotion, lost seniority)

Caring for children is wonderful AND it is repetitious, boring, stressful, mundane, a ton of work


Some argue that people who choose not to have a child are selfish. Do you agree?

YESNO

Not s

ure

33% 33%33%1. YES

2. NO

3. Not sure

0

0

50


Pregnancy and Childbirth

TV DEPICTIONS Reality of pregnancy

1/3 of women say it was just what they expected ½ of the third liked being prg. (attention, feelings

were interesting, exciting, spiritual)

40% ambiguous feelings Frightened of the unknown, painful, positive

attention, negative attention, etc.


pregnancy Physical and emotional experiences are

intertwined Physical discomfort affects psychological well

being Women who have troubled relationship with

father of child, who have financial problems, who are “stressed” have a hard time putting physical discomfort in positive light

ALL WOMEN AGREE BIRTH IS AN UNFORGETTABLE EVENT 30% mothers negative about emotional event 50% negative about physical experience


Tom Cruise vs. Brooke Shields

When “celebrities” are experts Matt Lauer on Today show

Katie Holmes is pregnant – what if she has post partum depression?

Why is this a topic for public consumption?

Tough topic to ask women to talk aboutTough topic to ask women to talk aboutCultural pressure to report that birthing Cultural pressure to report that birthing it is positiveit is positive


Do you agree with TC: women who take anti-depressants for post p. depression are

doing something wrong?

0of50

YES they

sho

uld fi

nd ...

YES ther

e is

no

such

t...

No th

ey s

hould

what

ev..

Not s

ure

25% 25%25%25%1. YES they should find other ways to end their depression

2. YES there is no such thing as pp depression

3. No they should whatever it takes to get better

4. Not sure


Seen as “less than” if she doesn’t frame her experiences as such. Many women report not liking her baby, not thinking

she/he is beautiful, not feeling “love” toward the newborn

Society codes “mother’s love” as a biological imperative – it is NATURAL

MISCONCEPTIONS by Naomi Wolff OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS by Anne LaMott

Medical institution taking over “natural” biological function


Up for debate

When a woman becomes pregnant unintentionally (the contraception fails) and decides to terminate the pregnancy, what rights, if any, should her male partner have in regard to this decision?

Next slide


Man’s rights?

50%50%

It is totally her decision to make

He has a right to veto her decision

1. It is totally her decision to make

2. He has a right to veto her decision

0

50



Patterns of ChildbearingSocioeconomic Status: lower SES women

typically have more children than women with higher SES

Religion: highest levels of fertility found among Hispanic Catholics, fundamentalist Protestants, and Mormons

Lowest levels among those with no religious affiliation and those of Jewish faith



Patterns of Childbearing

Age: childbearing period expandingSome become mothers as teens, some prolong

childbearing until careers established

Marital Status: today 1/3 of all births occur to unmarried women


Childfree Couples

Rate of childfree couples has doubled since 1980

Childfree couples seen most in those with highest levels of education, professional occupations, highest family incomes

Anticipated costs of having children outweigh anticipated rewards


Childfree Couples

By Deliberation

Some decide at early point in lives to forgo childbearing

Others decide after achieving educational and career goals and have lived without children for a long time

One study indicated 43% of childfree couples entered marriage agreeing not to have children


Childfree Couples

By Default

Pathway to childfree

Postponement for a definite time Postponement for an indefinite time Deliberating pros and cons of parenthood Accepting permanent childlessness


Contraception

Most popular contraception

Sterilizationincreases after age 30

By age 40-44, over ½ choose sterilization

1/5 choose male sterilization

Birth control pillUsed widely by women in teens and 20s


Do you support the parental consent law that requires a

33%

33%

33%

YES parents should consent

NO if a girl is close to her parents she will tell them

NOT SURE

1. YES parents should consent

2. NO if a girl is close to her parents she will tell them

3. NOT SURE

0 of 50


Up for debate

Supreme court recognized that because some girls are abused by parents – a local court can grant permission if there is undue harm.

When they include informing the male partner’s parents, or when they make law that says teens must have parents permission to have sex…..


Abortion

2 of every 100 women ages 15-44 have had a medically induced abortion

1% of women have had two terminated pregnancies

1 million abortions performed in 2002


Abortion

Characteristics Over ½ are under age 25 Teenagers obtain 1/5 of all abortions

annually 2/3 are performed on unmarried women African-American women 3 times more

likely than white women to have abortions


Abortion

Reasons Pregnancy interferes with work, school, or other

responsibilities (other children) Inability to afford child No relationship with baby’s father Problematic relationship with baby’s father Fear fetus has been harmed due to exposure to

toxic substances Pregnancy result of rape or incest Fear retribution from society or family


Infertility

Primary: inability to conceive among those who have never had a child

Secondary: difficulty conceiving additional children after bearing other child(ren)


Infertility

Psychological and Emotional Impact Guilt Drop in self-esteem Feelings of incompleteness Anger Mourn children they will never have


Infertility – read about:Treatment

Drugs to stimulate ovulation Artificial insemination Assisted reproductive technology

In vitro fertilization Gamete intra-fallopian transfer Egg donation Embryo donation

Surrogate mothering


Adoption- see film (Wed.)

Closed: original birth certificate sealed and new birth certificate prepared with adoptive parents’ names Keeps biological parents and adoptive parents

from knowing each other’s identities Open: biological and adoptive parents are

known to each other May remain in contact as child grows up

Documents

Childbearing. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 (If you do not already,) do you intend to have a child someday? 1. YES 2. NO 3. Not sure 1234567891011121314151617181920