Fertility of American women: June 1983.

Abstract

This report examines current fertility patterns, delayed childbearing and birth expectations, supplemented by detailed tables and charts. The birth expectations and fertility data are based on the June 1983 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS) which obtained information from women about their childbearing to date as well as their anticipated childbearing. Among women who had a child in the year preceding the 1983 survey, 43% were in the labor force, compared with only 31% in 1976. A continuing increase in childlessness is noted among ever-married women 25 to 29 years old, implying a greater tendency to postpone motherhood; only 16% of these women in 1970 were childless, compared with 27% in 1983. American women 18 to 34 years old in 1983 expected to have an average of 2.1 births in their lifetimes, only slightly below the 2.2 births expected/woman in 1976. 9% of currently married women 18 to 34 years old in 1983 reported uncertainty in future childbearing plans. This represents a slight decline from 12% reported by women in 1976. The 1983 fertility rate for the US was an estimated 73.2 births/1000 women 18 to 44 years. About 38% of the births to women 18 to 44 years old were 1st births, resulting in a 1st birth rate of 27.6/1000. Women 18 to 24 years old recorded a higher 1st birth rate (52.6). Fertility differences by race are still evident, with a higher rate among Black women (85.4) than among White women (71.4). The fertility rate in 1983 for married women with husbands present was 101.5/1000, significantly higher than that recorded for married women with husbands absent (75.5), single women (30.5), or widowed or divorced women (31.3). An examination of the changes in labor force participation of women with young children indicates the potential demand for maternal and child social service programs. There are numerous reasons for delayed childbearing, including changes in women's attitudes in the 1970s toward marriage and the family, improvements in contraceptive technology, and an expansion of employment opportunities. The average number of lifetime births expected by American women 18 to 34 years old in June 1983 was 2079/1000 women, comprising 1096 births to date plus 983 future births expected.

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