06-26-2010, 10:34 AM
More Women are Childless
Keshia Rice Created: 6/25/2010 4:45:22 AM Updated: 6/25/2010 4:47:00 AM
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By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY
More women today are childless: Nearly one in five end their childbearing years without having a baby, compared with one in 10 just 30 years ago. That's true for all racial and ethnic groups and for most education levels, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census data for women ages 40 to 44.
But a very small group - the most highly educated - is bucking that trend.
In 2008, 9% of women in the USA had a master's, doctorate or professional degree; of that group, 24% had not had children, down from 31% of the same group in 1994, the Pew analysis reports today.
"The most educated women are still the most likely to be childless," says report co-author D'Vera Cohn. "It's just that the rates have come down."
Pew's analysis doesn't suggest why, but it could be because more older women who can afford it are seeking fertility treatments, says Robert Stillman, a reproductive endocrinologist and medical director of the Shady Grove Fertility Center in Rockville, Md.
Advanced degrees translate to higher economic means, he says, and the costs of reproductive technologies such as invitro fertilization or use of egg donors can run from $10,000 to two or three times that amount, depending on the procedure.
"We're seeing a great number of patients at older reproductive age - 38 and above and certainly over 40," he says.
Overall, the proportion of women ages 40 to 44 who haven't borne a child grew from 10% (580,000 women) in 1976 to 18% (1.9 million) in 2008. The Census considers ages 40-44 the end of a woman's childbearing years. The report hints at explanations, including diminished social pressure to have children, improved contraceptive methods and the trend toward delayed childbearing.
A higher number of white women are childless, but the rate of childlessness has grown more rapidly among Hispanic and black women.
http://www.wltx.com/news/local/story.asp...4&catid=35
Keshia Rice Created: 6/25/2010 4:45:22 AM Updated: 6/25/2010 4:47:00 AM
Read Comments (7) Recommend (1) Print Email Article Larger Smaller
By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY
More women today are childless: Nearly one in five end their childbearing years without having a baby, compared with one in 10 just 30 years ago. That's true for all racial and ethnic groups and for most education levels, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census data for women ages 40 to 44.
But a very small group - the most highly educated - is bucking that trend.
In 2008, 9% of women in the USA had a master's, doctorate or professional degree; of that group, 24% had not had children, down from 31% of the same group in 1994, the Pew analysis reports today.
"The most educated women are still the most likely to be childless," says report co-author D'Vera Cohn. "It's just that the rates have come down."
Pew's analysis doesn't suggest why, but it could be because more older women who can afford it are seeking fertility treatments, says Robert Stillman, a reproductive endocrinologist and medical director of the Shady Grove Fertility Center in Rockville, Md.
Advanced degrees translate to higher economic means, he says, and the costs of reproductive technologies such as invitro fertilization or use of egg donors can run from $10,000 to two or three times that amount, depending on the procedure.
"We're seeing a great number of patients at older reproductive age - 38 and above and certainly over 40," he says.
Overall, the proportion of women ages 40 to 44 who haven't borne a child grew from 10% (580,000 women) in 1976 to 18% (1.9 million) in 2008. The Census considers ages 40-44 the end of a woman's childbearing years. The report hints at explanations, including diminished social pressure to have children, improved contraceptive methods and the trend toward delayed childbearing.
A higher number of white women are childless, but the rate of childlessness has grown more rapidly among Hispanic and black women.
http://www.wltx.com/news/local/story.asp...4&catid=35