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styky
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 Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 10:32 am Post subject: Parenthood now a pricey optional extra |
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Parenthood now a pricey optional extra
Wed, August 20, 2008
By MINDELLE JACOBS
source
The long-held belief that women naturally yearn to have children has taken another beating with the latest report to show that a significant proportion of women have no kids.
According to a U.S. Census Bureau survey, the number of women aged 40 to 44 who are childless has doubled in the last 30 years, from 10% to 20%.
Moreover, women in that age group who are moms have an average of only 1.9 children each, more than one child fewer than women of the same age in 1976.
In the U.S., only Hispanic women in their early 40s exceed replacement-level fertility (about 2.1 births per woman), averaging 2.3 births each.
In Canada, the same trend has emerged. Our fertility rate is only about 1.5 - and that's actually higher than it's been in years. Back in 1947, Canada's fertility rate was 3.6 kids per woman, the highest level since 1921.
But that was before reliable birth control, and few women worked outside the home or pursued advanced education. A woman's place in society was defined by two roles: wife and mother. There was little room for alternatives, except for the most ambitious or rebellious females.
As well, kids were once viewed as an economic necessity since they helped out at the farm or family business. These days, the financial issue for many families is sharply different: Can we afford to have another child?
Several decades ago, the average couple could easily afford a house and raise three kids on one salary. It's virtually impossible to manage that today in a big city without making serious sacrifices.
And doing without things most Canadians consider necessities -- everything from giant TVs and laptops to restaurant outings and recreational toys -- is tough to swallow in an increasingly consumerist society.
Birth control and educational and career opportunities gave women options. A husband and kids are now just potential selections along the buffet of life.
Women can marry or not, have one or two kids or none at all. Unlike through almost all of history, females have the freedom to choose their life paths.
Some of those journeys get chosen for them, mind you. Women who wait too long to marry or don't find the right partner may end up childless even though they always envisioned being parents. The biological clock waits for no woman.
But cultural expectations still figure strongly in fertility. In the U.S., Hispanic women have higher fertility rates than other women. Similarly, the fertility rates for visible minority women in Canada are higher than for Canadian women overall, according to federal stats.
Aboriginal women had more kids on average - about three -- than any other group in 2001. Arabs, West Asians and South Asians averaged two or more children per women. But the fertility of new immigrants tends to converge rapidly with that of the Canadian population, notes Statistics Canada.
The same pattern has been occurring in the U.S., where second-generation Hispanic women have lower fertility rates than foreign-born Hispanics, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's report.
"The cost of having multiple children reduces socio-economic opportunities," the paper observes.
And that's the demographical dilemma. Women want full lives and that's almost impossible to achieve with a house full of kids.
What's good for the country -- lots more babies -- clearly doesn't square with the desires of most 21st-century women.
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styky
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 10:34 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | And that's the demographical dilemma. Women want full lives and that's almost impossible to achieve with a house full of kids. |
I find that sentence to be absolutely offensive to every women who has children. 
_________________
FREE DOMINION FORUM RULES
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope ~ Sir Winston Churchill
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." Margaret Thatcher |
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 CdnRepublican
Joined: 10 Aug 2005 Total posts: 8013 Location: The garbage heap of society. Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 10:36 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | The same pattern has been occurring in the U.S., where second-generation Hispanic women have lower fertility rates than foreign-born Hispanics, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's report.
"The cost of having multiple children reduces socio-economic opportunities," the paper observes.
And that's the demographical dilemma. Women want full lives and that's almost impossible to achieve with a house full of kids.
What's good for the country -- lots more babies -- clearly doesn't square with the desires of most 21st-century women. |
When natural roles are blurred, and people are taxed into oblivion the obvious will happen. No kids.
Endless cultural fembot diatribes about the greatness of women acting like men, and that life is about consuming more, and it is not a surprise that most women would rather take on the rugby team and a career, than manage a household. |
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 liberJoined: 10 Mar 2008 Total posts: 150 Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 10:40 am Post subject: |
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| styky wrote: | | Quote: | | And that's the demographical dilemma. Women want full lives and that's almost impossible to achieve with a house full of kids. |
I find that sentence to be absolutely offensive to every women who has children. |
That's b/c having a house full of kids and living a full life is incompatible according to feminist ideology. Having kids doesn't make one fulfilled. I must be really empty then  |
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| Catholic Canadian Joined: 10 Apr 2006 Total posts: 2274 Location: Toronto aka Third World dump run by raving socialists Gender: Male
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 10:40 am Post subject: |
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| styky wrote: | | Quote: | | And that's the demographical dilemma. Women want full lives and that's almost impossible to achieve with a house full of kids. |
I find that sentence to be absolutely offensive to every women who has children. |
It is also utter nonsense and an example of the media selling their false bill of goods to women.
I live in North Toronto, in an area teeming with single women in their late 30s and early 40s. Many hang around pubs, have massive chips on their shoulders, and are drunk, angry feminists.
The truth is it is no more difficult to have children than it always was. The press would have everyone believe otherwise. Having children is and always has been about sacrifice and love. Women can still have full lives and even go out and have a career if they so choose and if they choose the right man who will support that. If they choose not to, well, that's fine as well. |
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| Catholic Canadian Joined: 10 Apr 2006 Total posts: 2274 Location: Toronto aka Third World dump run by raving socialists Gender: Male
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 10:42 am Post subject: |
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| CdnRepublican wrote: | | Quote: | The same pattern has been occurring in the U.S., where second-generation Hispanic women have lower fertility rates than foreign-born Hispanics, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's report.
"The cost of having multiple children reduces socio-economic opportunities," the paper observes.
And that's the demographical dilemma. Women want full lives and that's almost impossible to achieve with a house full of kids.
What's good for the country -- lots more babies -- clearly doesn't square with the desires of most 21st-century women. |
When natural roles are blurred, and people are taxed into oblivion the obvious will happen. No kids.
Endless cultural fembot diatribes about the greatness of women acting like men, and that life is about consuming more, and it is not a surprise that most women would rather take on the rugby team and a career, than manage a household. |
LMAO. Take on the Rugby team?
Oh dear......coffee all over the monitor.
An all female rugby team came into my buddy's pub several weeks back, I was downright afraid of them, lol. |
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ElimGarak
Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Total posts: 1784 Location: Edmonton, AB Age: 28 Gender: Male
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| Catholic Canadian wrote: | | CdnRepublican wrote: | | Quote: | The same pattern has been occurring in the U.S., where second-generation Hispanic women have lower fertility rates than foreign-born Hispanics, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's report.
"The cost of having multiple children reduces socio-economic opportunities," the paper observes.
And that's the demographical dilemma. Women want full lives and that's almost impossible to achieve with a house full of kids.
What's good for the country -- lots more babies -- clearly doesn't square with the desires of most 21st-century women. |
When natural roles are blurred, and people are taxed into oblivion the obvious will happen. No kids.
Endless cultural fembot diatribes about the greatness of women acting like men, and that life is about consuming more, and it is not a surprise that most women would rather take on the rugby team and a career, than manage a household. |
LMAO. Take on the Rugby team?
Oh dear......coffee all over the monitor.
An all female rugby team came into my buddy's pub several weeks back, I was downright afraid of them, lol. |
Be very afraid. Rugby chicks are downright predatory, especially when you get a couple beers in them.
_________________
The Tyrant is here to take up your throne,
To take off your head before taking your crown,
The mystic he laughs, "You should have listened to me,
But now you beg for your life on your knees." |
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| loafer87gt Joined: 20 Jun 2004 Total posts: 109 Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 11:40 am Post subject: |
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| Maybe its because people can no longer afford to have children because they are so overtaxed supporting the unemployed immigrants with ten children or the substance abusing aboriginal down the street with half a dozen FAS suffering kids, who will likewise begin starting their own families as soon as they hit the ripe age of 12. Face it, only societies losers are having children these days. Maybe sane people just don't want bring a family up in the cess pool society has become. |
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ElimGarak
Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Total posts: 1784 Location: Edmonton, AB Age: 28 Gender: Male
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 11:47 am Post subject: |
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[quote="loafer87gt"]Maybe its because people can no longer afford to have children because they are so overtaxed supporting the unemployed immigrants with ten children or the substance abusing aboriginal down the street with half a dozen FAS suffering kids, who will likewise begin starting their own families as soon as they hit the ripe age of 12. Face it, only societies losers are having children these days. Maybe sane people just don't want bring a family up in the cess pool society has become.[/quote]
I've heard that line of reasoning from a lot of people, and it really just doesn't hold water. It's either a cover for their unwillingness to sacrifice their free time, or their crippling fear of being an inadequate parent; Usually the former, however. Point is: no offspring = failed organism.
_________________
The Tyrant is here to take up your throne,
To take off your head before taking your crown,
The mystic he laughs, "You should have listened to me,
But now you beg for your life on your knees." |
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The Gooch
Joined: 28 Apr 2006 Total posts: 3047 Location: Kanata Age: 37 Gender: Male
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 11:49 am Post subject: |
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| Finances may be one thing, but I think a lot of people just don't want the inconvenience of having children. I see many people gladly pay lots of money to put their parents in nursing homes, who can't be bothered to go visit them. It is very sad to see these individuals spending the last years of their lives with their only companionship being staff employees and complete strangers. My father-in-law is in a nursing home and the staff always mentions how lucky he is that his family is always there to visit. The home actually offered my sister-in-law a part-time job because of all the help she provides to staff and how she goes out of her way to provide companionship to other residents while she is visiting. |
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OfficialPro
Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Total posts: 3044 Location: Live At The Necropolis Age: 36 Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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What I find ironic is that people who are supposedly intelligent, hell, even "intellectuals" are less likely to have children than the "stupid" people (the Great Unwashed masses). You'd think that people with brains and ambition would be SMART enough to figure out that it's a good idea to pass on their genes of high intelligence, no?
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"It's Ancient History, just like the Democratic Party"-Lt. Frank Drebin, The Naked Gun 2&1/2
"I can't see anybody going to see Morrisey. His fans have all killed themselves" -Tom Leykis
"The purpose of Margaret Atwood is to lower provincial test scores" - someusw3stnoob |
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BlawBlaw
Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Total posts: 5711 Location: Maple Ridge, BC Age: 43 Gender: Male
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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Here is a hypothesis: having children is only financially reasonable for the very wealthy (who can afford to give them everything) or the poor (who have most of the cost of raising their children borne by the taxpayer). The USA has more rich and poor proportionally compared to Canada, so they have a higher fertility rate.
Just a thought. I don't have time to test it right now, but one could create a scatter diagram comparing fertility rate with the Gini coefficient for various countries and then see if there is a statistically meaningful correlation. |
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styky
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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This is almost right out of the book "Makers and Takers," by Peter Schweizer that the National post did a series of excerps from.
Peter Schweizer: Why liberals prefer raising dogs over children
_________________
FREE DOMINION FORUM RULES
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope ~ Sir Winston Churchill
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." Margaret Thatcher |
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ElimGarak
Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Total posts: 1784 Location: Edmonton, AB Age: 28 Gender: Male
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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I think I am going to buy that book.
_________________
The Tyrant is here to take up your throne,
To take off your head before taking your crown,
The mystic he laughs, "You should have listened to me,
But now you beg for your life on your knees." |
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styky
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| Posted: 08/ 20/ 08 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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| ElimGarak wrote: | | I think I am going to buy that book. |
I bought it the day the National Post posted it's first story and it's been my best read of the summer and worth every penny spent.
_________________
FREE DOMINION FORUM RULES
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope ~ Sir Winston Churchill
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." Margaret Thatcher |
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