In some areas there are real financial incentives for girls to have babies, and the more the better. I know girls who were able to move out of their parents’ modest apartment, get their own more luxurious place in a good school district, and enjoy a life free of the need to work, all because of the generous local/county/state assistance programs for mothers and children. Especially in times of economic hardship when an uneducated girl is not going to be able to find work, this looks like an attractive possibility even with the 2 a.m. feedings.
You hit it right on ott. In WV, times have always been tough. The people are rugged and clannish. For generations the role of women has been to have babies. Used to be they were expected to also raise a garden,wash and iron clothes and can enough food for the winter. When welfare came along it freed the women from such mundane labor. That only leaves babies. I mean it does get boring if you live in isolated places. As the jokester said, “it’s something to do on Friday night.” A few of the girls are making it out of the welfare trap, but most of them never do.