Australias Declining Birth Rate essays

Australia's Declining Birth Rate essays One great, recent and long-lasting concern for the nation of Australia is the precipitous decline in the Australian birth rate. The Australian birth rate is one of the lowest birth rates in the civilized world. Statistics have also shown that a growing number of Australian women are postponing childbirth later and later. This is not only true of teenage mothers but also young women in their twenties, whom are traditionally at their most fertile biological peak' as well as more economically and personally stable than teenagers. The most frequently cited reasons for the low Australian birth rate, an object of frequent debate in the nation, include the lack of available affordable childcare as well as the fact that more and more women are pursuing careers, eschewing motherhood until later in life, only then finding out that hey have problems with their fertility. Also, the proportion of the population aged 65, past childbearing age, has grown steadily in Australia since 1975. (Australian Health Trends, 2001) Since 1976, the Australian birth rate has been sinking below replacement levels for the nation. This recent fall since the 1970's is even greater than the fall that occurred with the introduction of the birth control pill to the nation in the 1960's. Unlike the single factor of the introduction of the birth control pill, the 1970's anti-teenage mother campaign waged by the government, cutbacks in the health system regarding prenatal and day care, and social trends that de-emphasized motherhood have all created a trend towards later childbirth and smaller families since 1976. The burgeoning wealth of the population, the lack of social status accorded to motherhood in general as well as early motherhood, and even the increased rate of travel amongst young Australians have all been blamed for this growing trend. Also, the higher rate of congenital abnormalities...