Posted on 02/19/2006 12:01:38 AM PST by beaversmom
Britain's baby drought is fast becoming one of this country's most pressing long-term problems. A new think tank report reveals that, while some women are happy to remain childless, others are desperate to conceive. It's just that the problems of juggling motherhood and a career are becoming intolerable
When Julie Kendall walked down the aisle at the age of 26, it was always with the idea that some day she would be a mother. At that age there was no obvious hurry. Both she and her husband were keen to establish careers; her own mother had urged her not to be saddled with kids too young. Still, Kendall saw herself ultimately with children: 'I didn't want just one, because I was an only child; I always saw myself with three.'
Kendall achieved her career ambitions, and is now a company director. But motherhood proved elusive. The couple started trying when she was 30 and by 36, after years of struggling to conceive, had embarked on IVF. Two painful attempts later, they conceded defeat.
Childless at 47, Kendall now hugely regrets focusing on her career: 'It's not worth giving up something like having children for the sake of a job. My advice to any woman or man is to put having a family first.'
According to today's findings from the Institute of Public Policy Research think-tank, however, there is another way - one that could avoid painful choices between a satisfying career and a fulfilled family life. It argues that women have not suddenly stopped wanting children: a life of long working hours, expensive childcare and dual-income mortgages has simply made it too hard. Or as Shirley Conran, author and mother of two, puts it, modern motherhood 'is a rotten deal, and if it wasn't wrapped up in sentiment and...
(Excerpt) Read more at observer.guardian.co.uk ...
Rather more startling was Costello's exhortation that women should now have one child for themselves, one for their husbands 'and one for Australia'.
This article is about Great Britain but I think a lot of it is the same kind of thinking here in the States so hopefully we can get some feedback about it.
muslim families in europe average 5 children.
And, for the most part, they're on welfare.
no way to tell what is going under that burkha or hajjab
"And, for the most part, they're on welfare."
That is a big part of the problem. I remember reading years ago in articles by both Jack Kemp and Jerry "Govenor Moonbeam" Brown, that a big part of why two incomes are needed to maintian a middle class lifestyle is the Federal Tax burden which has grown all out of proportion to where it was in the 1950s.
For decades, while the rest of the world was worried about overpopulation, the Muslims were having babies. The nutty Muslim leaders are aware of their relative increasing numbers, too.
Ah, the beauty of socialism. Mom has to work. No, even better, mom works, it's her right and duty! She's convinced. Abortion! Slavery is freedom.
We're at war with East Asia or Eurasia this week, I forget.
Too late, Europe. It's too late.
Hey, they stole that from me! ;) Yeah, I admit, a little patriotism helped me bump my desired nest from 2 to 3 kids. Well, that and the fact that I love the little gremlins.
In England and in the rest of Europe, which IS what this article is all about, the welfare system is GIGANTIC and makes ours, even before it was somewhat dismantled, look puny, in comparison.
But, the hand wringers, who I'm sure will descend on this thread soon, fail to take several things into consideration, when they call for ALL Americans to have more babies. The first part of the problem, that they refuse to take into consideration, is that not all people make good parents, so just having more children, will NOT make everything okay.
The second thing that they always forget or ignore, is that the more acclimated to America and the more money they make, the less children immigrants/their children have.
The third thing, which somehow gets lost in the shuffle, is that America has had its own native, made up brand of Islam, since the '30s and jail conversions have been and are on the upswing amongst black and Hispanic populations.
Having just two or three children, has been the American "ideal", since the early part of the 20th century; with lower or higher blips, due to depressions, war, and boom times.
Nature abhors a vacuum. Eventually people who have no desire to have children will die out and be replaced by those who do want children.
Yours is such a silly statement! Everyone dies and not everyone can or should have children, in each generation.
Yes, the west is stock full of pure genius. Lets just take a moment to restate the wests position which is so dam intelligent. Let us import, feed and pay our enemies so they can have myriad children who will then beget dozens more. Yes, we can defend ourself by financing the enemy building his army right in our own homes. As i have said, pure genius. SARCASM for the mentally challenged among us.
LOL...you might want to reconsider your writing style. :-)
Yes of course, how silly of me to just plain state the truth. Shame on me. Btw, I personally believe this is a violation of the admendment that prohibits me being force to quarter troops. I forget which no. amendment it is. I, under penalty of jail am being forced to pay my enemy so he can finance his army. Pure insanity.
I meant so that you wouldn't have to announce that you were being sarcastic, but never mind..........
Since you aren't being forced to house active members of al Qaeda in your house, no, you're absolutely incorrect about any amendment being violated.
You didn't bother to read the article; did you. Read it and stay on topic!
Yes, I read it and it is absolutely on topic. Now you say I am not being forced to house any troops? what drug are you on? What difference does it make whether I provide the actual lodging or pay for same? NONE AT ALL. It is clear to sane people that by forcing me to pay for the lodging of my enemies, my constitutional rights are being violated. No question at all. The only retort anyone could have to my post is to say muslims are not my enemies. We know that is the stuff of male cows however.
you know that militant muslim cleric who was sentenced to 7 years in prison in Britian last week?
The british government will continue to provide subsidized rent payments and pay her welfare for her and their 8 children.
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