Baby Boom or Bust?

Jacksonville – In 2007, the US reported the largest number of births in history, 4,317,119, 1 percent higher than 2006 number of 4,265,555, surpassing the birth rate of the baby boomer generation from the 1950’s according to the National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Is the US entering another baby boomer age? The experts say no. The recession which began in December of 2007 caused the birth rate to begin declining in the last month of the year and the experts believe that this trend will continue, citing the Great Depression trend which saw the lowest birth rates in history. Experts are describing this as a boomlet and will not reach the numbers of the baby boom era after World War II.

The birth rate to unwed women ages 15 – 44 increased 5 percent in 2007. This section of the population as had the largest increase in birth rates over time. Since 2002, there has been a 21 percent increase n birth rates in this population.

Unmarried women ages 25 – 39 saw the largest increase explained by women opting for career first and children later in life. It is also becoming more sociably acceptable to be a single parent. Gone is the stigma of being as unwed mother.

Teenage birth rates in ages 15 – 17 increased 1 percent in 2007 continuing a trend from 2005. This rate rose 4 percent since 2005 interrupting a decline from 1991 to 2005.

Experts believe the increase in pregnancy among teens is related to the waning efforts of the pregnancy prevention campaigns seen in the 1990′s Cultural changes have had the greatest influence on this trend. It has become sociably acceptable, in fact “cool”, to be a teenage mom.

The ethnic populations to see the largest increase were Alaskan natives and American Indian teenagers with Hispanic teens seeing the largest decrease.

The good news is that the population is replacing itself as women are averaging 2.1 children per lifetime unlike populations in Italy and Japan who are not and are struggling with a declining work force unable to support the aging population. Beliefs are a larger population of women are giving birth to an average number of babies which in itself has caused the record number of births unlike the baby boom era when women were giving birth to four or more children.

What about future growth? Will the record number of births continue or will the recession cause a historical decline? Only time will tell.