Adults now live many more years without children in the home, report Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe in "Life Without Children," the 2006 "State of Our Unions" report. Peple are marrying later and waiting longer after marriage to have children, and an increasing number of women (now one in five) are not having children at all. As a result, fewer than one-third of American households contain children, compared with about half in 1960. Many people fear having children, the authors say, partly because their marriages are unreliable, and partly because popular culture increasingly portrays parents critically and parenthood as burdensome and depressing, especially in comparison with life without children. Among the effects, they predict, will be decreased political support for parents -- who already make up less than 40 percent of the electorate -- and more cultural hostility. [Emphasis mine.]
"It is hard enough to read children in a society that is organized to support that essential social task," the authors write. "Consider how much more difficult it becomes when a society is indifferent at best, and hostile, at worst, to those who are caring for the next generation."
This can only mean one thing: Up with natalism! Reihan for President!
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
I'm feeling like our little corner of the Southeast...and, at least in my little corner of the world,the population is NOT going to be going down any time soon.
Where, exacty?>
I don't know where Tina lives, but West Tennessee is full of young-uns. LOL>
We live near Myrtle Beach South Carolina.>
Tina:
You had me going for a minute there! Demographic statistics show that Myrtle Beach is barely breeding at replacement rate. No kid boom.
10,413 households, 20% had children under the age of 18.
Average household size 2.17
Average family size 2.79.
Projections show no child boom in your state is on the horizon, either.
Percentages under 18 for South Carolina / Total US show:
2000: 25.2% / 25.7%
2010: 23.3% / 24.1%
2030: 22.2% / 23.6%
Basically, SC looks just like the US, barely staying at replacement TFR of 2.1.
Also, as of the census of 2000, racial makeup of the city was 81% white. This alone is all we need, as whites just don't breed much. You have to have a heavy minority population to get growth through children.>
With great respect for all your research and the stats, M_David, I can tell you that those of us who live here are very definitely seeing a population growth and a boomlet of families with kids. Raw statistics don't reflect what daily life is like in rapidly growing areas, and all I can tell you is come look at our housing construction rate, the crowded schools and the waiting lists for everything from youth sports to child care, and you will see that this area is NOT going to be having a decline or a deficit in children for a long time. If you want to see another boomlet, travel four hours down the coast to the Bluffton area near Hilton Head. A close friend's Catholic church is adding an average of 50 families a month, all of them with children. Something is not lining up between the stats and our daily experience, is all I have to say.>
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.