Suicide Rates Increase Among Baby Boomers

June 4, 2013 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

The Washington Post Reports, “Baby boomers are killing themselves at an alarming rate, raising question: Why?” The article draws on recent statistics reported by the CDC and research on the family from the Center for Family and Demographic Research.

From the CDC report “Suicide Among Adults Aged 35–64 Years — United States, 1999–2010“:

“Most suicide research and prevention efforts have focused on youths and older adults. Although the analysis in this report does not explain why suicide rates are increasing so substantially among middle-aged adults, the results underscore the importance of prevention strategies that address the needs of persons aged 35–64 years, which includes the baby boomer cohort.”

From the Center for Family and Demographic Research report “Unmarried Boomers Confront Old Age: A National Portrait“

“One in three baby boomers was unmarried. The vast majority of these unmarried boomers were either divorced or never-married; just 10% were widowed. Unmarried boomers faced greater economic, health, and social vulnerabilities compared to married boomers. Divorced boomers had more economic resources and better health than widowed and never-married boomers. Widows appeared to be the most disadvantaged among boomer women, whereas never-marrieds were the least advantaged among boomer men.” (p.2)

Pew Research on “Breadwinner Moms”

May 29, 2013 By in Uncategorized

From the Pew Research report “Breadwinner Moms“:

“A record 40% of all households with children under the age of 18 include mothers who are either the sole or primary source of income for the family, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The share was just 11% in 1960.

“These “breadwinner moms” are made up of two very different groups: 5.1 million (37%) are married mothers who have a higher income than their husbands, and 8.6 million (63%) are single mothers.”

 

“Contraceptive Revolution” in Top 10 Downloaded Papers in the Labor: Demographics and Economics of the Family eJournal

May 22, 2013 By in Uncategorized

The Stein Center paper “The Contraceptive Revolution Revisited: A Neo-Classical Model of Sex and Fertilty,” was listed on SSRN’s Top Ten download list for the Journal of Labor: Demographics & Economics of the Family eJournal for March 23 to May 22, 2013.

The paper may be found here.

The current top 10 papers for the Journal of Labor: Demographics & Economics of the Family eJournal may be found here.

Safe Sex and the Press

February 14, 2013 By in Uncategorized Tags: ,

On February 13 the CDC released two reports and a fact sheet on sexually transmitted infections in the United States. The fact sheet can be found here.

The story was picked up by the Mail Online in an article with the title “‘Severe epidemic’ of sexually-transmitted diseases is sweeping the nation, warns CDC on Valentine’s Day.” The article ends with this helpful observation:

“[O]n the eve of Valentine’s Day, the CDC decided to release two new studies on the growth of STI’s and to urge people to practice abstinence or safe sex by using a form of birth control and getting tested.”

Apparently, according to the British press, using “a form of contraception” will prevent the spread of STIs. Will any form of contraception do, or only certain forms? How, for example, does the Pill prevent one from acquiring a sexually transmitted infection?

The theme that contraception is safe sex and safe sex prevents STIs is repeated so frequently that there are several websites devoted to debunking the myth that the Pill can prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as this one.

Perhaps someone could let the Mail Online know that they are not helping.

But Are Today’s Children of a Higher Quality?

November 28, 2012 By in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

Gary Becker famously theorized that, as real incomes rise, households prefer fewer children of higher quality to more children of lower quality. This thesis and the theory behind remains one of the most important explanations for the declining fertility rates in the United States and Europe. But are children of higher quality?

While there is no standard measure of quality, one would think that educational achievement would constitute a major component of quality. How does the educational achievement of today’s children compare with those a generation ago?

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. The NAEP 2004 Trends in Academic Progress reports:

  • “[b]etween 1999 and 2004, average reading scores at age 17 showed no measurable changes. The average score in 2004 was similar to that in 1971.” (p.10)
  • “the average [math] score [in 2004] was not measurably different from the average score in 1973 or 1999.” (p.16)

Over this same period, fertility rates have fallen from 74.5 children per 1000 women (ages 15-44) to 66.7 children per 1000 women, a 10.5% decrease. (NVSS Statistics)

So while fertility has decreased dramatically, educational achievement is unchanged since the 1970s.