Clarification of Answer by
bobbie7-ga
on
20 Jun 2004 13:23 PDT
Here are a number of brief excerpts from a National Post article that
discusses the reasons for the lower birth rate in Canada compared to
the U.S.
?Fewer traditional marriages, women establishing themselves in the job
market and better contraception are cited as reasons for the declining
birth rate in Canada.?
Indirect factors related to the decline in fertility in Canada
"One of them is that marriage is less prevalent and comes later in
life here in Canada. Another is that the population is more
traditionalist in the United States."
"StatsCan says 34% of American women in their childbearing years go to
church every week, compared with 18% of Canadian women of the same
age."
"The report suggests the growing numbers of Canadians choosing to
enter into common-law marriages are less likely to have children than
those who have tied the knot in a more traditional way. The high
divorce rate is also cited as a factor."
"Greater economic uncertainty in Canada may have a very strong bearing
on whether people choose to have a child."
"It's difficult to make the decision to have a child when your future
is not secure and the unemployment rate, as an indicator of security,
has been much higher compared to the U.S.," Mr. Belanger said.?
(..)
?David Foot, an economics professor at the University of Toronto and
co-author of Boom, Bust and Echo, said the declining birth rate may
have a lot more to do with education than unemployment."
"Essentially, if you educate women, they have other options,
especially in the workplace, and they delay having children," Prof.
Foot said. The U.S. fertility rate has been increasing at the same
time the Canadian rate has been falling."
"Most of the difference is due to the teenage fertility, which was
already much higher in the States, and the minority fertility rate.
The Hispanic and black population in the United States have a much
higher fertility rate," Mr. Belanger said."
"Sixty per cent of the gap is due to declining fertility among
Canadian women aged 20 to 29 and a third due to high fertility levels
among American females aged 15 to 19, the report says. Just over 50 of
every 1,000 American girls between the age of 15 and 19 have children.
In Canada and the rest of the developed world, that number is closer
to 20 per 1,000 girls.?
(..)
?The report suggested Canadian women use better contraceptive methods,
with more than eight in 10 opting for birth control pills, a method
used by fewer than one in six American women.?
(..)
?The United States has a higher percentage of poorer women who don't
have access to better birth control, he said. Canada's health system
allows many unemployed Canadian women access to birth control pills at
a fraction of the cost.?
National Post Online
http://fact.on.ca/news/news0207/np020704.htm
Similarities & Differences between Canada & the United States
The following table consists of facts and statistics concerning Canada
and the United States, as recent as Jan 1, 2004 (unless otherwise
indicated).
http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/simdiff.htm
I hope this helps!
Sincerely,
Bobbie7
