It seems the amount of younger women having babies has dropped, as researchers have found that more women aged between 30 and 34 are having babies. This is the first time this has happened in history.
Kasey Buckles, an economist at the University of Notre Dame, told NPR’s Planet Money that while fertility rates naturally dip during recessions (children are expensive), but hasn’t bounced back after the last global recession in 2008 occurred.
So, why is this?
More women aged between 30 to 34 are having babies
Women over 30 seem to be getting pregnant at a higher rate than ever before in the United States, a new study by Buckles and her fellow researchers Melanie Guldi and Lucie Schmidt have found.
They believe the reason for this could be because younger people have a lot more debt (student) than before, plus, the rising cost of house pricing is making them wait longer to start a family.
Another theory is that young people are over-stimulated by technology. Young people may be so much more preoccupied with smartphones, video games and social media that they’re staying inside and out of trouble!
“We’re witnessing an astonishing demographic shift,” says Buckles.
“For the first time in American history, women aged 30-34 have the highest fertility rate of all age brackets. Younger women are having far fewer unintended pregnancies, accounting for about a third of the overall decline in births since 2007.
“Buckles believes the remaining two-thirds of the decline is the product of a generation deciding they’re not ready for marriage and kids.”
It should also be noted, in the United States, there is no mandatory maternity pay and companies don’t always offer much time off work on maternity leave.
Other experts highlight how the increased cost of childcare may have a factor, as well as women waiting longer to marry and there being less social stigma around abortions.
Whatever the reason, it will be interesting to see if this trend changes or not over the years.
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