Number of households with kids hits new low

[Liberal_in_LA]

Poll question: Number of households with kids hits new low

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2009-02-25-families-kids-home_N.htm?csp=24&RM_Exclude=Juno

Number of households with kids hits new low

By Jack Gillum, USA TODAY
The percentage of American households with children under 18 living at home last year hit the lowest point — 46% — in half a century, government data reported Wednesday.

The trend reflects the aging of the Baby Boom generation and younger women having fewer children, demographers say.
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In 2008, about 35.7 million families (46%) had children under 18 at home, the Census figures show, down from 52% in 1950. The percentage peaked in 1963, when about 57% of families had children under 18 at home.

[Matariki]

1. Guess it was called The Baby Boom for a reason.

Looks like it's over, and that's a good thing.

[Demobrat]

5. Yeah, the reason was that the "Greatest Generation"

wasn't so great at practicing birth control. People love to blame the boomers for all the world's ills - but they didn't reproduce like amoebas.

[LeftyMom]

9. Well, they didn't generally have access to legal, reliable contraception.

Many states outlawed sale of contraceptives, or restricted their sale to married people. The typical way (at least how it seems to have gone with members of my family) was that when a woman's doctor finally decided she'd had "enough" maybe they'd dream up a reason to do a hysterectomy.

[marmar]

2. I like kids I can borrow, take to the zoo or museum for the day, then give back to their owners....

:)

[Reverend_Smitty]

3. But I'm guessing families with children over 18 in the home is probably rising...

I'm still living at home and I'm well into my 20's. It's the perfect storm of under-employment, student loans and expensive housing.

It's depressing as hell, but I know I'm not alone in my generation

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. The article mentions that adult children at home should be rising b/c of economy

[whoneedstickets]

6. younger women having fewer children...except octuplet lady

She's a one woman demographic trend!

[Lilith Velkor]

7. Good. n/t

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

8. it reflects more than that: the rise in broken homes

It's comparing 1952 and 1963 data to 2008 data. There are far more broken homes today than 40-50 years ago. One household with kids becomes two households, one with kids, the other without. Since divorce isn't mentioned, my *supposition* is that the demographers didn't control for divorce.