Monday, July 16, 2007

Couples discuss why they don't have children

Wichita Eagle
Cristi Jackson still laughs about the day she met her husband, Johnny. "We were talking about families and stuff, and I told him I didn't want kids. It was something I had just decided wasn't for me," says Cristi, a Wichita aircraft worker.

"And he was like, 'Will you marry me?' "
Maybe this will serve as a beacon to women bemoaning their single status. Get innoculated against baby rabies, and perhaps you'll scare off men a bit less :)
The number of married couples deciding not to have children is growing. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the proportion of childless women 15 to 44 years old was 44.6 percent in 2004, up from 35 percent in 1976.
. . .
More recently, a Pew Research Center survey . . . found that, by a ratio of nearly 3-to-1, Americans say the main purpose of marriage is the "mutual happiness and fulfillment" of adults rather than the "bearing and raising of children."
I know that I have rehashed this study in a few posts lately, but I don't remember this being mentioned - I thought it was worth bringing up.
Local couples who decided not to have children -- most prefer the term "child-free" to "childless" -- cite various reasons.

Some prefer to focus on their careers or partners, some worry about overpopulation, some prefer adult company and some enjoy the freedom to travel -- or just to go out for dinner or a movie -- without worrying about school schedules or baby-sitters. Others point to the financial strain of paying for diapers, day care, college and everything in between.. . .

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