Childbearing

• What is the significance of the term "family legacy"?

  It refers to the impact of families on future generations
• How does family legacy influence children's identity?

  It shapes their values and beliefs
• What does the term "family planning" refer to?

  Strategies for managing family size and resources
• Why is family planning important?

  It helps families make informed decisions
• How can effective family planning impact society?

  It can lead to healthier families and communities
• What factors contribute to the decline in fertility rates?

  Increased education and economic opportunities for women
• How do economic conditions influence fertility rates?

  Poor economic conditions often lead to lower fertility
• How does access to healthcare affect fertility rates?

  Better access typically leads to lower fertility rates
• What role does government policy play in fertility rates?

  Government policies can encourage or discourage childbirth
• How does the availability of contraceptives affect fertility rates?

  Increased availability typically reduces fertility rates
• What are the key factors influencing family size decisions?

  • Financial stability
  • Societal norms
  • Personal preferences
  • Relationship dynamics
• reasons for trends in childbearing rates

  • contraception allows controlled family planning
  • individuals spend more time in education, thus their parents support them in their 20s
• role of women

  • prioritise a career over starting a family
  • this causes them to have less time to have more children
  • Sharpe - just like a girl study, changing attitudes of women (between 1920 and 1990)
• infant mortality rate

  • fewer people die in childhood
  • this means that fewer families are compensating by having more children
• changing values

  • less couples intend to have children due to the degree of commitment
  • in the past this would’ve been a bad thing
  • it is now accepted in society
• Economic Factors

  the cost of raising a child is increasing yearly, influencing couples to only have 1 child as they cannot afford to have a 2nd
• impact of changing fertility rates

  • reduction in labour force, no one to fill the gaps of the retired
  • aging population causes an unbalanced number of those in the labour force
  • decrease in full time mothers as their are more childcare options available
• Julia Brannon (2003)

  growth of the beanpole family, generations live longer but have fewer members in each generation
• Voluntary Childlessness

  • Hakim (2000) - due to an increase in availability of contraception
  • Gillespie (2000) - push/pull idea, women have greater freedom (pull) but parenthood conflicts with career and leisure (push)