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I don't believe that a low birth rate says anything about when people grow up. If it did, teenage mothers would be the most responsible people in society.
by tomjen 18y ago
I don't believe that a low birth rate says anything about when people grow up. If it did, teenage mothers would be the most responsible people in society.
- nir 18y agoI mention it as example of adults who have priorities traditionally associated with younger people - the low birth rate in places like Germany or Italy partly comes from adults preferring a certain lifestyle (a better car, exotic vacations, living in fashionable=expensive neighborhoods etc) (I'm not judging this, btw, it's a valid choice.)
- olavk 18y agoThe reason for the low birth rates in eg. Italy is probably not primarily because people want cars and vacations, but rather that society is structured such that if a woman gets a child, she have to give up her career and become a housewife. Therefore many women defer having kids or choose not to have kids. In Scandinavia birth rates are relatively higher - definitely not because Scandinavians don't like cars or vacations, but rather because the society makes it easier to have children and a job at the same time (e.g. kindergartens available and so on).
- dgabriel 18y agoVery true, same in France where the family benefits are amazing.
- jimbokun 18y agoYou know, a teenage mother raised a man who was just elected to the most powerful position on Earth. Anecdotal, yes. But your comment relies on a stereotype. How do we know that teenage mothers do not quickly start maturing from the point they become teenage mothers, relative to their peers? They almost have no choice. (I say that knowing of some concrete counter-examples to what I just argued. But that's just anecdotes, too.)
- dgabriel 18y agoUnfortunately, Obama is an exceptional case, and the research does not back you up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_pregnancy#Impact_on_the_child http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_pregnancy#Impact_on_the...
- thras 18y agoActually, her mother was the one who raised him. Barack's mother ditched him with her parents so that she could live with her husband and daughter in Indonesia.
- Alex3917 18y agoNot until he was in fifth grade.
- deleted 18y ago[deleted]
- diN0bot 18y agoFurthermore, correlation does not imply causation. There are many factors at play, including the correlation that many teenage mothers are also single mothers.