Recession Reduces Natality Rates

Scientists from the respected statistics institute the Pew Research Center (Pew) recently released the conclusions of a new investigation that they conducted on the link between the economy and childbirth. The team discovered an important correlation between the beginning of the economic downturn and the number of overall babies that were born in the United States. They note that the drop was more significant starting with 2008, after the previous year had marked the peak of natality rates recorded throughout the country in the last 20 years, LiveScience reports.

The Pew team says that the connection they discovered can easily be called an anti-baby boom. The new analysis of state fertility and economic data appears to hint at a direct influence that the economic climate exerts on the way families plan their children. The group highlights that other factors are at work in determining a drop in natality rates as well. Some of these triggers include the development of the birth control pill, the widespread availability of contraception, an increase in the average age of women, as compared to the money men get for the same job, plus an increase in overall living standards.

The investigation was conducted on 25 states, as these were the only locations for which the scientists had final data. Usually, birth numbers for a particular year become available within 3 to 5 years afterwards, and only some states in the US give their interest in maintaining their records up to date. The Pew group says, however, that the 25 states in the study include some 54 percent of all women in the country that are of childbearing age. The organization released its report this week.

The paper also shows some clear numbers regarding the percentage differences the researchers discovered. For example, the total number of births in 2008 was 2.29 million, about 40,000 less than the previous year. In the vast majority of the states that were analyzed, the Pew group found that the number of births had either leveled off in 2008 when compared to previous years, or had fallen below these limits. The number of women that gave birth also dropped overall.