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Number of childless American women in their 40s has risen sharply since 1970s
The Washington Post ^ | 2010-06-25 | Donna St. George

Posted on 06/25/2010 3:16:32 PM PDT by rabscuttle385

Nearly one in five American women in her early 40s is childless, according to a report that shows a striking increase in women who don't have biological children.

The trend was much less common in the 1970s, when one in 10 women did not have children by 40 to 44, the age bracket researchers use to designate the end of childbearing years.

The report, released Friday by the Pew Research Center, cites social and cultural shifts behind the change, including less pressure to have children, better contraceptive measures and expanded job opportunities for women.

(snip)

Overall, the report found that white women are more likely to be childless, as are women with more education. The analysis, based largely on census data, comes amid changing attitudes about women who do not have children.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: childless; children; childrensuckanyway; conservativebigotry; deathofthewest; feminism; liberalfascism; liberalsgonewild; moralabsolutes; sowhat; women; womyn
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To: rabscuttle385
Here's the real reason:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2541796/posts
21 posted on 06/25/2010 3:41:37 PM PDT by Julia H. (Freedom of speech and freedom from criticism are mutually exclusive.)
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To: rabscuttle385

Reverse Darwinism.


22 posted on 06/25/2010 3:50:10 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (How many children are enough? One more....)
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To: RobFromGa

True, but there would still seem to me to be a corresponding number of childless dads in their 40’s.


23 posted on 06/25/2010 3:53:17 PM PDT by Lorianne
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To: LouAvul

“Women in their forties who elected not to have children are unfulfilled and are, what, cat farmers?”

Many if not most will deny that they are unfulfilled, but they know the truth. The worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves.


24 posted on 06/25/2010 3:53:35 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (How many children are enough? One more....)
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To: AAABEST
What happened is that these poor women were taught by leftist feminist ninnies that having a traditional marriage and family was undesirable. It was best to be more manly - university, career, etc. etc.
Nobody told them that later in life many of them would wind up as empty and unfulfilled cat-farmers with no families.
Oh well. Going along with the wrong crowd has consequences.

Gee. For me (I am 44, my husband 49) it was just because I had fertility problems and chose not to kill fertilized embryos via invitro fertilization. Cat farmer? LOL. Sure. I love my cats!! :-D.

25 posted on 06/25/2010 3:54:44 PM PDT by GOP Poet (Obama is an OLYMPIC failure.)
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To: OldDeckHand

That could be.
There is a supposed correlation between Schizophrenia and having an older father.

http://www.schizophrenia.com/prevention/older.htm


26 posted on 06/25/2010 3:55:58 PM PDT by Lorianne
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To: ryan71
White liberal women in their 40’s.

Conservative woman here and you'll have to ask my white, very conservative husband what he had to do with it? It DOES take two (the old fashioned way--lol). Infertility was our issue. Didn't meet a good conservative man until I was in my early thirties. I dumped all the liberal weirdos and very glad did not marry one. It was well worth the wait! Wish I could have met him earlier when I was younger and probably more fertile. But hey God has a plan. I just show up and do the footwork.

27 posted on 06/25/2010 3:59:30 PM PDT by GOP Poet (Obama is an OLYMPIC failure.)
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To: GOP Poet
oops posted that without italicizing the original poster:

What happened is that these poor women were taught by leftist feminist ninnies that having a traditional marriage and family was undesirable. It was best to be more manly - university, career, etc. etc. Nobody told them that later in life many of them would wind up as empty and unfulfilled cat-farmers with no families. Oh well. Going along with the wrong crowd has consequences.

Gee. For me (I am 44, my husband 49) it was just because I had fertility problems and chose not to kill fertilized embryos via invitro fertilization. Cat farmer? LOL. Sure. I love my cats!! :-D.

28 posted on 06/25/2010 4:02:24 PM PDT by GOP Poet (Obama is an OLYMPIC failure.)
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To: RKBA Democrat

You really think the only way a woman can be “fulfilled” is to pop out some babies? For some of us, the organ of fulfillment is in the skull, not the pelvis.


29 posted on 06/25/2010 4:03:58 PM PDT by Julia H. (Freedom of speech and freedom from criticism are mutually exclusive.)
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To: AAABEST
"What happened is that these poor women were taught by leftist feminist ninnies that having a traditional marriage and family was undesirable. It was best to be more manly - university, career, etc. etc."

Excuse me, but I am a 40 year old childless female BY MY OWN CHOICE. Why did I choose not to have children? Because I grew up in a crap home that taught me NOTHING about love and family......of course, I'm just being nice about my childhood in that description.

I knew there was NO WAY I could be a good mother, let alone a good wife. It took me YEARS to heal, learn and correct myself.

Of course, now that I'm 40, I am now ready for marriage, but too old to start having kids.

So many times I have read on FR there are just some people who should NOT have children. I was one of those damaged girls. I'm healed, loved and ready for a family now.....just too damn old!

Well, maybe not for marriage, but too old to start having children.

God only knows what I could have done to my children if I had them when I sure as heck shouldn't have.

30 posted on 06/25/2010 4:06:05 PM PDT by NoGrayZone (Palin/West for 2012!)
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To: jazminerose

Exactly. I am over 40 female and childless. I am not ugly nor have I had abortions, there are ways to avoid becoming pregnant without using that! Have also been happily married to a great guy for 24 years.


31 posted on 06/25/2010 4:08:37 PM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: LouAvul

I am a proud cat farmer!!! :-D.


32 posted on 06/25/2010 4:10:11 PM PDT by GOP Poet (Obama is an OLYMPIC failure.)
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To: AAABEST

Really? Wow such hostitlity from someone who has no idea what they are talking about. I love being able to go and do whatever whenever. My hubby and I share more than most couples do and I think having kids wouldn’t interfered with that. I truly don’t think it is anyone else’s buisness what someone does. Or as my Brother-in-law once said to us: “You have to have kids it just isn’t fair you aren’t as miserable as the rest of us are!”


33 posted on 06/25/2010 4:12:30 PM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: Julia H.

give me a break. so tired of hearing this liberal agenda item. surprised someone on this board is dumb enough to fall for.

folks not marrying and having children is a complex issue and it does not simply boil down to one thing like weight. especially when much of the marrying occurs in 20s and 30s and folks are often still quite thin at this age. thin people with a judmental attitude that want to cast stones at overweight folks (when it is actually none of their business) ought to be considered a mental illness issue. i know it’s a spiritual matter with God.

it takes two to get married and men seem to be missing in this equation quite often these days. i am watching my sons....guys do guy things with guys and yet they can still find women to socialize and sleep with so it meets their need for intimacy. Women should ask themselves if they really want this type of arrangement or are they settling.


34 posted on 06/25/2010 4:13:16 PM PDT by applpie
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To: rabscuttle385

I have had one kid and I still plain on farming cats. My son is allergic to cats, but as soon as he is gone the cats are moving in. My mother had seven kids and would have a house full of cats if she had her way. She feeds every stray that comes around.


35 posted on 06/25/2010 4:15:01 PM PDT by timeflies
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To: friendly_doc
It’s fear of finding themselves separated from their children and sometimes having to pay for their wife’s second family.

One reason why I don't date.

36 posted on 06/25/2010 4:15:10 PM PDT by wastedyears (The Founders revolted for less.)
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To: Xenalyte; fatnotlazy; GOP Poet; LouAvul
The post struck a nerve for some.

In many cases (not finding the right person, reproductive issues etc.) women can't have children, or are called by God/nature to be single or childless.

Others use laboratory poison disguised as medicine (i.e. the pill) to unnaturally prevent reproduction or - in some cases - kill their own offspring, as the pill often kills an embryo destined as a person-to-be.

In any case, there seems to be a lack of comprehension of the first post; here's an excerpt for the sake of clarity:

Nobody told them that later in life MANY of them would wind up as empty and unfulfilled cat-farmers with no families.

If you're happy and fulfilled and not among the "many of them," why become so bothered with an internet post?

37 posted on 06/25/2010 4:16:18 PM PDT by AAABEST (Et lux in tenebris lucet: et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt)
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To: RKBA Democrat

Gosh such ignorance. Sorry to disappoint but if you need kids to fulfill yourself then that was a very selfish thing to do to a child. One should learn to fill their lives and not depend on someone else to do that for them.


38 posted on 06/25/2010 4:18:00 PM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: LouAvul

They have substitute children, aka ‘pets’, to make up for the loss of any children they won’t have. And some of those women have so many cats it does look like a cat farm.


39 posted on 06/25/2010 4:18:50 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: rabscuttle385

And what percentage of those not having children are of the Caucasian persuasion? I bet its higher than the diverse crowd or the latinas!

And just think how green it is not to have children!


40 posted on 06/25/2010 4:21:01 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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