U.S. women in 20s less likely to get pregnant or have abortion

[boston bean]

(Reuters) - Pregnancy rates for U.S. women in their early 20s fell nearly 18 percent from 1990 to 2008 and their abortion rate dropped by 32 percent, as those women delayed the decision to have a baby and used more effective birth control, said a government report released on Wednesday.

The findings for women in their prime child bearing years mirror similar studies showing declines in pregnancies and abortions among teenagers.

The report from the National Center for Health Statistics stated that in 2008, the pregnancy rate for the 20 to 24 age group was 163 per 1,000 women. By comparison, in 1990 that demographic had a pregnancy rate of 198.5 per 1,000, which was nearly 18 percent higher than in 2008.

Pregnancy rates for women between the ages of 25 and 29 fell a more modest 6 percent during the same time period, to 167.9 per 1,000, according to statistics in the report.

The abortion rate also declined among women in their early 20s, to 38.4 per 1,000 women in 2008 from 56.7 per 1,000 in 1990, the report said. That represented a drop of 32 percent.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/us-usa-pregnancies-study-idUSBRE85J06820120620

interesting....

[HockeyMom]

1. Besides using effective BC,

they aren't getting married at that age either now.

[boston bean]

2. yep. It's a very threatening thing for some.

Birth control is the reason though women are afforded these choices. That's why the religious nuts are focusing on contraception now.

[seabeyond]

3. this is a very good thing. gonna be a lot of old moms and dads out there.

Women between 40 and 44 had a dramatic increase in pregnancy rates of nearly 65 percent from 1990 to 2008, the report said. There were 18.8 pregnancies per 1,000 women in that age group in 2008, compared with 11.4 per 1,000 in 1990.

i certainly noticed more of this. in my day it was the unusual older parent. today, particularly in my sons middle school that is a higher income school, i was the norm. we have had more time to get financially set. and it showed in the parents, with younger children. it really is interesting to see the difference in the two parenting. as with most things, there is good and bad. or advantages and disadvantages in both young and older parents.

i am seeing a whole new thinking for our youth today. again, that would just be the environment that i am in. it will be interesting to see where they go.

this is good news. thank you BB

and you are right, it will scare a lot of people

[HockeyMom]

4. My Aunt and Uncle

married when they were 40 and 42. My Aunt was 42 when she had my cousin. This was in 1962! Oh, he was an Only Child, by choice. Same with me, but I was born in 1948, and my Mom was 28 when she had me. OLD for back in those days. Yet, they say that BC will fail sooner or later. Stupid. It works when the women/couple WANT it to work.

[seabeyond]

5. well, now

my second would be a condom boy. lol. didnt work that time. and i was not on the pill. i say use both, when you want a for certain. and we would not have it any other way. but i hear you. back them it was unusual. and your mom was old by standards for FIRST. but, definitely not a whole. cause without bc you haev any, even 40 brought the 6th, 7th, 8th child around, lol

it is interesting the difference.

i am noticing kids not getting all over the sex, too. per se. more kids waiting and longer. as study bares out. boys like a little over 17. and girls like a third over 17 on average.

my mom started having babies at 19. oct. all three, 19, 20, 21 and after me she told dad, snip snip. that worked for them.

[HockeyMom]

7. Well, it's certainly a good thing they are waiting

until they are older, and marrying later after getting an education, job, etc. However, when people start saying that unmarried 30 and 40 year olds should be not be having sex, that is not going to work. lol

[seabeyond]

9. oh, gosh no.

Last edited Thu Jun 21, 2012, 06:39 PM - Edit history (2)

cut another finger, getting harder to type. that is three down, lol.

kids in car and youngest at 13 said he was gonna try to wait. but, then 15 yr old was talking too. we were talking about the abstinence sex class they got in middle school. when it dawned on me what youngest said i asked

wait? wait for what?

gonna wait to marry

clearing throat. but i dont want you to marry young so are you telling me you are gonna wait? until late 20's or so to have sex?

oldest son broke into conversation to explain to youngest...

so, i agree

[Little Star]

8. I married in Sept of 1965 at the ripe old age of 19...

Had first child July of 1966, second Jan of 1968, third Sept 1969 and fourth August 1970. Yep I was fertile Myrtle and knew nothing about birth control (obviously), came from very religious upbringing (JW's), poor me for sure, on that part! You don't get to chose your parents and you can't know things if they teach you wrong headed crap either.

I don't even know what states were preforming abortions during that time period (if any) because I might have considered one. We were in way over our heads, especially financially. I finally found out about the pill which was rather new and controversial during that time period. I went on it and stayed on it.

Still, I wouldn't trade anyone of my four girls, for anything. I learned from the school of hard knocks and am just glad everything turned out ok.

[seabeyond]

10. wow. ya, that. lol. nt

[HockeyMom]

11. I guess where you lived made a difference in those days

I grew up in NYC. NYS legalized abortion a couple of years before Roe. I went on the Pill in 1969, before I married. I had friends already on it who suggested a doctor to go it. SHE was a great doctor too. In her 50s maybe? Her medical school graduation picture showed her as the only female in her graduating class!

Again, as probably today with what is going on, it just depends on the state you live in, and how liberal that state is.

[Texasgal]

18. I could not imagine being pregnant

at my age! YIKES!

No way... just the thought!

[seabeyond]

20. lol

piece of cake....

[CrispyQ]

6. It will be interesting to see if the stats change

at the time the right wing started seriously attacking Planned Parenthood.

[wavesofeuphoria]

12. I am appalled by the current forces against women's rights regarding their own health ...

and I wonder how younger (teens - 20s) women will ultimately respond (action, advocacy) as the impact of the legislation is felt/seen. Women fought and struggled to achieve what many younger women have grown up seeing as a right -- birth control, choice, etc. I know rights and advancements hard fought for are not easily surrendered!

I have a teenage daughter who has trouble understanding the logic, morality, of the current attacks on women's rights. She is growing up in a world where it was a "given" and now its being attacked. She's not happy about that! and I don't think she will let it happen without a fight! It saddens me ... having lived through, dealt with, and fought for the rights of women, my rights and her rights!, that my daughter is going to have to fight for the the same thing, again.

In the past two years, I have really felt we were moving backwards ... or more so ... pushed backwards. And sadly, it seems old allies are no longer there ... ahh ... I'm rambling ... and frustrated .....

[seabeyond]

14. i have two teen boys. tell me,

amongst her friends, are you finding the teen more aware and disgusted than what we are seeing with the 20 somethings that were in the beginning of the whole social network and bushco era of anti women. it seems to me that the 20 something were swept up in it not able to recognize and firmly placed in it. but, it seems to me that the teens today have seen enough fo the repercussions for the 20 somethings and i have a lot more hope for them.

[wavesofeuphoria]

16. From my observations ...

it seems mixed. Some are very tied up in pop culture (Bieber, Jersey Shore, Teen Moms) and seem to be interested ... as my daughter terms it... "shallow and hollow shit" ... and others are more focused on "being meaningful" and "making a difference" (I think service learning in schools has awakened a lot of kids) and ... given their parents perhaps ... more into protests and actions and awareness (anti-war, anti-fracking, LGBT rights, etc).

We will be officially starting as homeschoolers this fall. Our philosophy and "curriculum" are decidedly feminist emphasizing social justice, critical thinking, and reasoning. I'm excited at the challenge of helping her to grow into her strong and powerful self, both as a parent, and academically as her teacher (often entwined). I have hope she will be a part of the next wave while understanding the struggles that have come before ... and most likely continue. I am sad though that she will have to refight some of those battles.

[seabeyond]

17. when son introduces new gils name to me, the first question

any AP courses. for no other reason, but that she is taking life a little more seriously than others.

he had a girlfriend that crushed him in first love, so he has backed off to just lots of friends....

you are right, it is mixed.

"I am sad though that she will have to refight some of those battles"

it will give her something to focus on outside herself. allow her something worthwhile to feel passionate about.

i am always a glass half full, every moment is another moment of opportunity.

[Lisa D]

13. They also seem less likely

to get married. At least, that's my anecdotal view. My daughters and their friends are focused on education and careers. Marriage is something they may want in the future, but definitely not near the top of their priority list.

[seabeyond]

15. There Are Now More Unmarried Women in the United States Than Married Women

Recently, the number of unmarried in the United States surpassed the number of married women for the first time. What is behind the trend and what does it mean? This change reflects two converging tends in American society. Not only are women living longer than men, creating more widows, women are getting married at a later age.
In the media coverage discussing this particular phenomenon, news anchors questioned whether or not it was a commentary on men in today's society. Personally, I don't believe that it is. It appears simply to be a reflection of trends that have been in place for quite some time. It is only now that it is showing up in the statistics.

For all of the hype, there are only a few things can be said for this trend. More women and men are living larger parts of their adult lives alone. Where as people used to spend most of their adult lives married, factors such as the live span gap between men and women, college education, and the trend of getting married later in life are making it more unlikely.

For all of the attention paid to this statistic, I don't believe that it is commentary on men or that it reflects a fundamental shift in values. People are simply taking their time in getting married. No one wants to make a mistake and end up getting divorced. As a generation who saw over half of our parents' marriages end in divorce, we are being much more cautious. By getting our education first and waiting to get married, we hope to advert the same issues.

That having been said, it will be interesting to see what effect this trend will have on divorce rates in the future, and our society as a whole. If people don't get married at all, there will be a fundamental shift in how we view families and relationships between men and women. However, if people continue to simply get married later in life, we may see another echo Baby Boom as these newly married 30 and 40-somethings start families. Either way, the way we viewed the traditional American family even 20 years ago doesn't necessarily apply. That is probably the biggest thing to take from this news item: the dynamic of the American family is changing.

http://voices.yahoo.com/there-now-more-unmarried-women-united-states-173427.html?cat=41
_____________________


there are so many articles to choose from. i dont think it is just an anecdotal view. i know that was a small consideration for me that being married at a much later age will significantly reduce likelihood of divorce. and absolutely making sure the man i married was one i could spend my life with. also, i really needed my 20's to figure out who i wanted to be and what i wanted in life. so, once i did that, i was able to better recognize the man that would be compatible to who i became.

[G26]

19. Interesting question about how marrying later affects marriage success.

The census has a lot of great data, but doesn’t seem to answer your question directly. This page has the closest thing:

Census page

If you look at Table 133 (pdf version opens faster), which is divorce rate for the entire US (top bolded line) for years 1990, 2000 and 2009, you see a steady trend of a decreasing national divorce rate:

Divorces per 1,000 people:
1990 4.7
2000 4.1
2009 3.4

If you assume that people married later during this same 20-year period (which seems to be true), this suggests that older couples divorce less.

[seabeyond]

21. there was an excellent report that broke it down about a year ago.

divorce rate for college educated married older (25 i believe) was at like 11.4

the over all first divorce 41%

second divorce raised to like 67%

and third divorce like 73%

when averaging all that in, it came to like a 53% divorce rate.

edit... i am bad at googlin, and i could not find it. sorry