#births #BirthRates #census #population
The U.S. is seeing its lowest number of births in 32 years.
So says provisional data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
A Bloomberg News article about birth data appeared May 16, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The article goes on to break down the data by race, method of birth etc., but doesn’t talk about why birth rates are declining.
There are a number of trends one could point to. Many people are postponing marriage for any number of reasons. The longer one postpones marriage, it seems, the less likely there are to be children as part of marriage.
Other data has pointed to an increase in both the number of single-person households, and the number of young adults who continue to live at home with their parents.
Also, there are money issues. College debt is at an all-time high. The more young adults owe for their educations, the more likely they will postpone buying homes and having children.
And, though the economy is considered good, not everyone has benefitted. Some younger folks have been laid off, and not been able to find work that pays what their previous jobs paid – if they have found one at all.
There are many solutions out there to the financial issues involved with the decision to have children. There are a number of vehicles out there that can enable young couples to devote a few part-time hours a week to augment – or even surpass – their incomes, To check out one of the best such vehicles, message me.
Though parents likely encourage their adult children to have children, having children isn’t for everyone.
Being a parent requires major responsibility. You not only have to support those children financially, you have to be there for them. In other words, being a parent involves lots of money and lots of time. Not everyone has the desire for and commitment to that responsibility.
It’s important, some say, that each person replace himself. The article says the birth rate is dropping below replacement levels.
So who are the future workers, if birth rates continue to decline?
First, as we now see, machines can replace humans for many tasks. Second, immigrants looking for opportunities are moving to the U.S. Regardless how you may feel personally about that, it’s reality. The need for those immigrants is plain to see these days, no matter where you look.
So how do you feel about having children? Don’t feel you have a duty to have them, regardless of how badly your parents want to be grandparents.
Have children because you really want to have children. Don’t have more children than you can afford. Try not to have “accidental” children, if you can avoid it.
There is no shame in being single, or being married without children. It’s all a matter of the kind of life best suits you.
Peter