On November 29th, the Pew Research Center published an analysis about the current status of birth rate in the U.S. The results indicate that “The U.S. birth rate dipped in 2011 to the lowest ever recorded” and the statistics show that the main responsible of the change are immigrant women.
The decline in the birth rate is, according to the Pew, explained by the Great Recession, in which Latino population affirm that they were affected by the economic breakdown harder than other groups. Even when a first glance this could be considered a purely racial problem, a concept that could look contradictory; the Melting Pot also plays a big role in the situation.
The birth rate decline is a phenomenon that affects the American-born population since the Great Depression. However, immigrants, especially those who came from Mexico have not been part of the same dynamic until now when their birth rate has fallen by 23%. If the Melting Pot ideology implies the assimilation of new cultural patterns, a different perspective from the racial one could explain the demographic change as part of this process of assimilation, especially considering the economic circumstances that led to the decline are as similar as they are.
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What I think is especially interesting about this decrease in birth rate is how the reaction to the economic issues we face in contemporary America is different than that of historic economic hardship. In feudalistic times, when most were working class agriculturalists, the best strategy to succeed was to have as many children as possible, so they could work in the family business and carry on the family name. This was practical and became so widely accepted as to become an example of hegemony. This tradition was especially continued in less fortunate countries because the conditions they faced were similar to that of their ancestors.
ReplyDeleteAccording to this analysis, immigrants from countries that are not wealthy are having less children as a result of the current economic crisis instead of more, thus contradicting the hegemony built up for centuries. I take this to represent a positive change in the life of American immigrants. Having less children because of hard times means more of an investment is being put into each child than before, such as education and standard of living, so less children can be afforded. While this study shows that American immigrants are going through an unfortunate struggle currently, I feel it implies that their situation economically is steadily improving in the long run.