Trends

      This week we have been focusing on the trends seen in family structure over the last decades.  These are things we see and experience every day, yet some of the data still shocked me. 
Some of the trends we explored were:

• Age at marriage increasing... people waiting longer to get married
• Cohabitation increasing... more couples choosing to live together without marrying
• Unwed births increasing (births to mothers not married)
• Birth rate (babies born per year) decreasing
• Household size decreasing
• Working mothers increasing (especially in the demographic of mothers with children under 6 yrs.)

It was very interesting to explore relationships between these trends.  For example, many women are delaying marriage until a later age.  This typically results in the first birth to the family happening while the mother is in her 30s. As a result she will have fewer children, or may be involuntarily childless due to fertility decreasing with age.  Thus, we are having fewer children born each year and family size is decreasing.
        The statistic that really hit close to home was:  In 1987, for the first time, there were more new mothers staying in the work force than at home with their infant.  Also, the largest increase in working mothers has been those with a child under the age of 6 yrs, the age at which so much is learned.  This means more children are being placed in child care than ever before.  This concerns me, both as a Child Development major, but also because I know how significant of an impact my mother had on me during those years.  I was lucky enough to have her in the home full-time to raise me and my siblings.  I know others are not as lucky, but to those who have a choice, it is worth it to your children to have you home.