"Women in the 1920s broke the status quo for the first time... Nearly 100 years later, this trend is escalating. More and more women are making the choice to not have children, or to have fewer children, in order to lead a more well-rounded life." - Annabelle Fields
America first saw birth rates dip in the 1920s, during World War I. Many women took over traditionally male dominated jobs as men fought overseas (although famously associated with WWII, this phenomenon actually began in WWI). After the war, men returned and took back their jobs. However, women had gotten a taste of social and financial freedom, setting into motion the expectations of independence embraced by women today, as America again witnesses dropping birth rates.
The 20s sparked a wide array of social changes. Marriage moved from being a financial partnership to a romantic one. Traditionally, men and women were set up by their parents, who decided on the best suitor for their child. The mass production of the automobile allowed for increased mobility and independence, which changed the dynamics of courting. The automobile spurred the invention of the “date.” People began to get married after dating for a while--going to the movies, driving to each other’s houses, etc. These marriages were romantic rather than practical--more like the marriages we have today.
As marriages changed, so did the family dynamic, which affected the birth rate. Married couples had children out of love--no longer out of necessity. The basic sentiment towards children changed. Children were no longer expected to work or help out with the family. Kids were instead expected to play, go to school, and learn. They became expensive--less like financial tools, more like modern children. People could not afford to have as many children as they had before (5-10), causing the average US birth rate to drop dramatically. This is where the 2.5 kids stereotype began.
The 20s sparked a wide array of social changes. Marriage moved from being a financial partnership to a romantic one. Traditionally, men and women were set up by their parents, who decided on the best suitor for their child. The mass production of the automobile allowed for increased mobility and independence, which changed the dynamics of courting. The automobile spurred the invention of the “date.” People began to get married after dating for a while--going to the movies, driving to each other’s houses, etc. These marriages were romantic rather than practical--more like the marriages we have today.
As marriages changed, so did the family dynamic, which affected the birth rate. Married couples had children out of love--no longer out of necessity. The basic sentiment towards children changed. Children were no longer expected to work or help out with the family. Kids were instead expected to play, go to school, and learn. They became expensive--less like financial tools, more like modern children. People could not afford to have as many children as they had before (5-10), causing the average US birth rate to drop dramatically. This is where the 2.5 kids stereotype began.
Let’s fast forward to 2009. Rebecca Traistor from NYMag writes:
“In 2009, the proportion of American women who were married dropped below 50 percent. In other words, for the first time in American history, single women (including those who were never married, widowed, divorced, or separated) outnumbered married women. [...] Today’s women are, for the most part, not abstaining from or delaying marriage to prove a point about equality. They are doing it because they have internalized assumptions that just a half-century ago would have seemed radical: that it’s okay for them not to be married; that they are whole people able to live full professional, economic, social, sexual, and parental lives on their own if they don’t happen to meet a person to whom they want to legally bind themselves.”
Today’s women have internalized the teachings of the first half of the twentieth century and live as independent whole persons, which includes not having kids. Women are no longer bound to the mother stereotype or by the necessity of marriage. Above all else, women have a choice--a choice to have or not to have kids, to marry or not to marry. According to the Cassandra Report, of the 75 million millennials, about 25 million don't have a desire to have children. In fact, Neil Howe from Forbes Magazine informs us that “[...]the number of births each year per thousand women ages 15-44 fell to 62.5 in 2013, the lowest level ever recorded.”
Women in the 1920s broke the status quo for the first time. They set up the next generations to be fierce and independent, to make their own choices, and to have children only if they wanted to. Nearly 100 years later, this trend is escalating. More and more women are making the choice to not have children, or to have fewer children, in order to lead a more well-rounded life.
Girl power, am I right?
“In 2009, the proportion of American women who were married dropped below 50 percent. In other words, for the first time in American history, single women (including those who were never married, widowed, divorced, or separated) outnumbered married women. [...] Today’s women are, for the most part, not abstaining from or delaying marriage to prove a point about equality. They are doing it because they have internalized assumptions that just a half-century ago would have seemed radical: that it’s okay for them not to be married; that they are whole people able to live full professional, economic, social, sexual, and parental lives on their own if they don’t happen to meet a person to whom they want to legally bind themselves.”
Today’s women have internalized the teachings of the first half of the twentieth century and live as independent whole persons, which includes not having kids. Women are no longer bound to the mother stereotype or by the necessity of marriage. Above all else, women have a choice--a choice to have or not to have kids, to marry or not to marry. According to the Cassandra Report, of the 75 million millennials, about 25 million don't have a desire to have children. In fact, Neil Howe from Forbes Magazine informs us that “[...]the number of births each year per thousand women ages 15-44 fell to 62.5 in 2013, the lowest level ever recorded.”
Women in the 1920s broke the status quo for the first time. They set up the next generations to be fierce and independent, to make their own choices, and to have children only if they wanted to. Nearly 100 years later, this trend is escalating. More and more women are making the choice to not have children, or to have fewer children, in order to lead a more well-rounded life.
Girl power, am I right?
