I was a little confused as to why a British paper was so concerned with the fertility of US women, but oh well...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/20/usa1

_________________
"Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is that you're stupid and make bad decisions."

I saw an article on TIME.com quoting the same statistics. I don't think the British particularly care about American fertility. I think the stats just recently came out, so every news agency is writing about it.
It's funny how they throw in that whole "replacement-level fertility" stat. That ought to upset the fundies
'Cause you know we should all be birthin' babies for God!

"The findings reveal, for instance, that Utah, Nebraska and Idaho in the middle and west of the US have the highest fertility levels"

Gee, I could have told you that without the fancy statistics... Everyone I knew in school had at least 4+ siblings...and I kid you not EVERYONE was related to each other. I made a comment once in high school about them all being inbred, earning me the title of "biggest b**** in school"

Even if all this declining birth rate garbage is true (which I have trouble believing), the women in these states are more than making up for those who don't have any, or only have one. The whole "replenishment" idea just disgusts me; can you be any more disgustingly selfish? There's plenty of people in the world, no need to "replenish" after a few die...or are they pompous to think that their race/religion/nation is the only one that matters and we should keep up "our" numbers vs. "their" numbers?

The classrooms here are overflowing and they are opening new schools. I don't see any problem with the human population here being in danger of disappearing!

_________________
“I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.”
― Bill Cosby

Oh yeah!!! I love this article! To me, it says it is becoming more normal not to have kids. Also, people who are having kids are having less, validating the idea that it is no picnic (of course it could also be that they start later and so have fewer 'child bearing years' left).

But anyway, there is nothing wrong with a little decline in the population...cleaner air, less traffic, less crowding, more resources and opportunities for the kids that are being born. I don't see what the problem is.

Interesting the only two explanations for the statitics - are women putting their careers first or waiting too long and having fertility issues....what about choosing not to have kids?
Not even mentioned...
I don't have kids and that decision had NOTHING to do with my career or fertility...
I guess they are the only acceptable reasons for being CF....heaven forbid, the reason might be...
ahhh, no thanks!
Gets back to CF women (in particular) needing an excuse - something to explain their life - and they don't want to hear, "I was happy with my life, just as it is....".
"Not keen on the idea of motherhood"...."prefer to do other things with my life"..."I'd rather dowse myself in kerosene and set myself alight"...and so on.

Right, Deborah. The silly women waited too long! Or look how having careers has hurt women. I hate these explanations! If you want a child and a career, have one, and if your husband doesn't readjust his schedule to make it 50/50, divorce him so he'll have to do his share during his custody weeks! And I am a doctoral student...it takes 8 years to finish this degree, and PLENTY of women in my program have had kids WHILE doing it because they wanted both. Women need to start realizing that they have choices, including to have a kid or not, and then they have to start making deliberate choices. I don't like to hear about women as victims of biology either way.

And why are these stats always about women and fertility? What about the percentage of men who don't have kids over 40?

Because if you count both genders, some kids are going to get counted twice or not at all, and there will be lots of census-type confusion. Also, a woman knows for certain if she's given birth. A man may not know if he's fathered a child.

~S

_________________
I would have preferred to battle the valiant, but I guess you'll have to do.

I tried to get on at work today to post this, but couldn't remember my password. MSNBC posted a story on it, too. And I heard them talking about it on the radio this morning.

I spent part of my lunchbreak reading the comments below the article. I knew it would get people fired up. Check out these comments -

women are getting smarter- go girls!!! no longer are we putting our lives on hold to bear children we cannot afford with men who won't stick around at the end of the day... keep up the good work ladies!!!!

Huh? You are cheering on EXTINCTION?
There is something so wrong with that.
I wish I had six kids instead of two.

deborah
Exactly!!!! They act like it's so wonderful that no one would choose not to do it. Please. And how overpopulated would the world be if everyone had kids, which seems to be the general assumption - that we all will, or at least want to. Are people really that brainwashed? It doesn't look even remotely fun to me, sorry!