Family Studies ch 11 Flashcards
Procreative Liberty and Pronatalism
The freedom to decide whether or not to have children
Identifying the attitudes that encourage childbearing which include culture, family, friends, religion and in some countries government
People today can chose:
- to be parents or not to be parents.
- when to have children
- how many children they want to have
- at what point in their lives.
Becoming a Parent
About 72% of American adults have children, but almost half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended.
Different parents worry about different things:
Planners
Acceptance of fate
Ambivalent couples
Yes-no couples
Benefits of Having Children
Benefits: Children bring a sense of joy, happiness, and completeness to families.
Lifestyle changes
Costs of Having Children
It is expensive.
the mommy tax
emotional costs
Fathers and mothers spend time caring for the children, often neglecting their own relationships.
Pregnancy
When pregnancy is planned and welcomed it can be exhilarating. It can draw a couple together.
There are several discomforts for moms at all stages of pregnancy:
Some Effects of Parenthood
A negative effect of parenthood tends to be a higher divorce rate.
Some parents think having a baby will bring them closer, but it often drives them apart.
How Many?
A majority of Americans say that two children is the ideal number, and few people want more than three
Why Have U.S. Fertility Rates Changed? Micro Level Factors
Micro-level factors—whether to have intercourse; timing of first intercourse; percent of women who have intercourse; time spent in marriage; frequency of intercourse
Why Have U.S. Fertility Rates Changed? Macro Level Factors
Macro-level factors—improvements in contraception for moms and an increase in opportunities for women in higher education.
Infant Mortality
The U.S. has the highest rate of infant mortality for any high-income country in the world.
Causes: defects, preterm birth, and low birth weight.
Impact of access to health care
Postponing Parenthood
The number of first-time older mothers is rising.
4% of American women having first babies were 30 or older in the early 70’s
Why is this Happening?
Macro-level factors—
When there is high recession, many young people don’t have the financial resources to start a family.
Many young couples still live with their parents.
Some young couples are disturbed by the high divorce rate.
Advanced reproductive technology has put less stress on the biological clock.
Our country does not support young families in the same ways that some other high-income nations do.
Some Characteristics of Older Parents
Advantages—
Women who give birth between 22 and 34 have healthier babies.
Older mothers are more likely to be married and have a higher education.
Older mothers tend to feel more secure.
Older dads also have some advantages in that they can retire when their children are younger and get to spend more time with them.