Grade 12 Family Studies Choosing to Parent

The Childfree Alternative Historically, being childless and married was stigmatized. Are you sick? Is there something wrong with you sexually? You must be too immature to have a child? Are you a man living in a woman’s body? You must be just selfish?

The Childfree Alternative As birth control came around and abortion laws were changed, more married couples could put off having children or decide to remain child free.

The Childfree Alternative It is a myth that couples need children in order to be happy. Childfree couples report greater satisfaction in their marriage than parents do. More time for personal interests and hobbies. These couples tend to be more egalitarian divisions of labor. These couples, however, do tend to experience higher rates of divorce than couples with children.

The Childfree Alternative More may choose to remain childless now that there are more lifestyle options but the social pressure and encouragement from the government to have children is still there. Maintain Population (population must replace itself) Most religions encourage it Carry on Family lines

Natural Childlessness Couples who can’t have children are called “infertile”. Many are desperate to have their own children and may spend years being tested and treated trying reproductive technology such as fertility drugs and IVF. This can be a very stressful time in the life of the family and can cause strain on relationships.

Deciding to Parent “Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it's what you want before you commit.“ Elizabeth Gilbert, “Eat, Pray, Love”

Deciding to Parent Although some women make these decisions alone, most people make them as a couple.

Factors for Would-Be Parents to Consider Society and social values Religion Economic conditions and personal finances Feelings about children Psychological readiness Genetic disorders that could be passed on to children Pressure from peers, parents, and other family members

When to Have Children 1960s  1970s average age of woman when she had her first child was early 20s average age = 28 This trend of “delayed parenthood” will have an impact on Canadian birth rates. (women are older and have less time to have more children) “Babies are such a nice way of starting people” – Don Herold

Births Outside of Marriage Although birth rate has been declining, births by women outside of marriage have increased. Many of these women are cohabitating at the time of birth

Teen Births The amount of teens having abortions almost the same as the number of teens having their babies. Canada’s teen pregnancy rate is lower than US, however.

Number of Children 1960s  3.8 children per family 2000  1.5 per family Small families of 2 or 3 children is now the norm

Adoption The number of Canadian children placed up for adoption has decreased   2836 Most children up for adoption are older and harder to place. Private adoptions have increased

Adoption Decline is not due to more abortions but to more mothers raising children on their own. 51% of those that give up their children are because they feel they are too young to parent. Others do it because they cannot afford a child financially or because of the disruption a child would cause career or education plans.

Adoption Couples may decide to adopt because of: Infertility Compassion Overpopulation Genetic Disorders (Tay-Sachs, Muscular Dystrophy) Health Concerns (Diabetes, HIV) Personal Choice

Adoption Adoption provides for the social continuation of the family  pass on customs, values, etc. Does not provide for biological continuation of the family. Sometimes may be an issue if family is made unaware of possible genetic factors that may be helpful to know about in the future.

End of Theory Portion

Your assignment …. Do you think the intentions of the students at Garden City toward childbearing are consistent with those of adults? Develop a short questionnaire to ask 5 students at each of the different grade levels and another questionnaire for 5 adults (22+). Before you start your research, develop a hypothesis. What do you think the attitudes are for each grade level? How do you think they will compare with those of adults? Graph your findings and write a short follow up (1/2 page typed) explaining your findings and how they compared with your hypothesis. You may work in groups of 2-4.

Examples of Questions Questions for 9-12sQuestions for Adults Do you plan on having children? YES or NO If you checked NO for what reasons (you could have a list to choose from, help with graphing) How old do you think you will be when you have your first child? Do you plan to be married when you have your first child? How many children do you plan on having? If you are unable to have children would you consider adoption? Fertility treatments? etc. You can ask questions about their own family backgrounds and see if this possibly influences their choices. Remember to be sensitive. Do you have children? YES or NO If you checked NO for what reason (you could have a list to choose from to help with graphing) If you checked YES, what age were you when you had your first child? Were you married when you had your first child? What factors influenced your choice to have children? (ie. Social pressure, religion, societal pressures, etc.) How many children do you have? How many children do you plan on having? You can ask questions about their own family backgrounds and see if this possibly influenced their choices. Remember to be sensitive.

Guidelines You may do these interviews orally and write down the answers or make up small questions sheets for the participants to fill out. Make sure each person involved knows their name will not be used in collecting data. Only record ages and grade levels. Do not disrupt classes unless you have permission of the teacher (do not walk in on a test or something). You may try the commons. Don’t wander the halls. Be sensitive as not everyone has the same attitudes toward parenting as you do. Do not criticize anyone. They are helping you with your assignment. Show them respect.

However, you cannot leave the class until you have your questionnaire, hypothesis, and plan completed. You must come back at 11:30 and show me what you have done so far. You may begin.