The institution of family has changed throughout time. In today’s world, people are not necessarily taking as much time to think about family.
A 2014 article in the Washington Examiner cites the National Center for Health Statistics in viewing trends in fertility. According to the article, there were only 62.9 births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15-44 in 2013, and the average number of children a woman has during her fertile years is 1.86, the lowest rate in almost 30 years.
After college, finding a job and focusing on a better career does not necessarily allow more space for thinking about having a family. For some women, like Lauren Fillipitch, sophomore in family studies and human services, going to college and having a child is not the most feasible option.
“I think that people are not ready for having kids when they don’t feel self-accomplished,” Fillipitch said. “Building a family before they are done with their college degrees and before they find a secure job doesn’t seem like a right thing to do. Personally, I hope to travel the world and get to know myself better; with kids those things are not as easy. I feel like it is important to teach ourselves first, before trying to teach a child how to behave.”
This phenomena is not just in the U.S., it exists all over the world. Different cultures all over the world are influenced by this growing trend. In Mexico, the birth rate dropped from 23.1 births per 1,000 women in 2000 to 18.8 in 2012. Laura Galvan, senior in food science and industry from Guanajuato, Mexico, said she thinks having kids these days is financially draining.
“College is important for them to attain, but so expensive,” Galvan said.
In fact, according to an article published by CNN in August 2014, it costs approximately $245,000 to raise a child without including the costs of college. Galvan said she believes the more mature choice is waiting to start a family after acquiring an education, and when people are financially prepared and stable.
“People are focused on their careers, that is a reason why they decide to have children later in life or not at all,” Sonja Schneider, junior in advertising from Oberdorf, Switzerland, said. “Nowadays, people are more focused on their personal goals and they want to get the best from themselves. Children might be interrupting their plans.”
She said she stands out from the masses because her career goals will be important to her, but not at the price of missing out on having a family of her own.
