in brief: modern families not all that big
Families are shrinking and only children seem to be the new go-to for working women.
Researchers at the Australian Workplace Innovation and Social Research Centre, out of the University of Adelaide, have reflected on the knowledge that the number of single children families have increased in the last two decades.
In 1986, a reported 9% of women under the age of 44 had an only child, but by 2006 14% of women under 44 fitted this category.
Reasons for the shift have been put down to financial pressures of raising more than one child, and a continued increase in women focusing of careers first and children later.
An increase in older first-time mothers may also account for why women are choosing not to have multiple children.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the number of childless women increased from 10% to 17% in the last 25 years.
Researchers have claimed that women waiting to find the “perfect man” with which to raise a family is also having an impact on the number of children they later give birth to.
Concern over changing family units and the effects of women working later is not new, and by no means unique to Australia. This year nations like Japan took stock of their shrinking populations, as women stay in the workforce longer and embark on child raising only when financially stable.
The Japanese population situation, which has been linked to significant changes in the expectations and work habits of Japanese women, is much more dire than that of Australia. Women reportedly give birth to 1.39 babies on average in their lifetime. Projections this year suggest that by 2060, the nation’s population may drop from 127 million to around 80 million.
The Australian situation will likely not have such an impact on population levels, but researchers are quick to highlight that “average” family units shift with the work and relationship priorities of the women of the nation.
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