New York: The worst global economic
recession in generations may be taking a toll on the American
family life, as for the first time since the decade began
people in the United States are having fewer babies.
Historically, birth rates in the US have fluctuated in
parallel with the economy. Record lows were recorded during
two great economic crises: the Depression of the 1930s and the
Arab oil embargo in the 1970s, The New York Times said today.
In 2007, the number of births in the United States
broke a 50-year-old record high, set during the baby boom. But
last year, births began to fall nationwide, by nearly 2
percent, according to provisional figures released last week.
The figures from the National Center for Health
Statistics, suggest that births declined in all but 10 states
in 2008 (most of them in a Northern belt where the recession
was generally less severe) compared with the year before. Over
all, 4,247,000 births were recorded in 2008, 68,000 fewer than
the year before.
"It’s the recession," said Andrew Hacker, a
sociologist at Queens College of the City University of New
York.
"Children are the most expensive item in every
family’s budget, especially given all the gear kids expect
today. So it’s a good place to cut back when you’re uncertain
about the future," he was quoted as saying by the Times.
According to US government figures, California
recorded 14,500 fewer births than in 2007, a 2.6 percent fall
and the first since 2001, when the state struggled with job
losses in Silicon Valley that led to layoffs in distribution,
construction and other sectors.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, August 07, 2009, 20:06