"Children? In this economy?"
American women are having fewer children and having them later than ever before — a demographic shift being met with significant consternation from the left and right alike. For conservatives, the fact that more women are putting off parenthood or forgoing it entirely is evidence of
a dangerous decline in traditional family values. In this framing, women have been manipulated into putting their educational and professional aspirations ahead of motherhood, contributing to a broader cultural breakdown. Liberals make the (better) case that birth declines are clearly tied to policy, with potential mothers deterred by the lack of affordable child care and the absence of universal health care, adequate paid parental leave and other basic support systems. Couple that with skyrocketing housing prices, high rates of student loan debt and stagnant wages. However, childbearing remains overwhelmingly the norm: 86 per cent of American women aged 40 to 44 are mothers. Motherhood isn't on the decline so much as motherhood is delayed and parents are more likely to have just one or two kids.
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