The economic crisis is giving couples pause before deciding whether to have or delay having another child. The global economic slowdown is hurting almost everyone in one way or another. Massive layoffs throughout the country make planning to have a baby tenuous at best. I wonder if having babies is recession-proof.
"One for Mum, one for Dad and one for the country." That's what the Australian government has been hoping for-lately, with little effect. Like Australia, many other countries offer bonuses for babies. A www.mumzone.com.au, an Australian parenting and pregnancy website, survey of 1,500 mothers, reports that "almost 70% of respondents indicated that the current economic conditions are a factor in deciding how many children they would like to have. This response was strongly supported by the fact that 53% of respondents have only one child and less than 40% are either pregnant or are planning/trying to get pregnant."
The shaky job market in the US, coupled with the cost factors discussed in Children Are Big Ticket Items: How Many Can You Afford?, creates a dilemma for couples who say they would like to have more children. The possibility of a pay cut or being laid off, existing credit card debt, the housing market, and the desire, for many, to give their children "extras" like music lessons and sports team participation may mean putting pregnancy and baby "on hold" for a while. Mothers who don't work may have to go back into the job market. What if there's no insurance to cover doctor's visits and hospital costs related to pregnancy and childbirth?
Historically, the birth rate drops when there is a national crisis or recession. The decline was seen during the Great Depression and again in 1976 following the oil crisis, according to the Population Reference Bureau in Washington.
Most people are uncertain about their finances and as much as we like to believe raising children is unrelated to money, without enough, child rearing can be an enormous struggle. When it comes to having babies, it isn't so much a question of re-defining or re-inventing yourself in difficult times or coming up with a sound financial strategy to bring another child into your family, or is it? We probably have to wait until the next Census study to know for sure, but based on current family-size trends, my guess is more people will be parenting an only child.
Of course, there's always the traditional advice. One mother recently voiced it this way when trying to help another decide if should have a second child: "If you wait for the right time, there will always be something else that comes up. If you feel that you are ready and have confidence that you can manage... do it." It will be interesting to see how many couples feel that confident right now and how many postpone childbearing. Will the birth rate drop as it has in the past as a result of the country being in financial disarray? Or, is being practical about having babies going to be ignored?
