Page 2 - aruba-today-20220507

A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 7 May 2022
Continued from Front ing itself with births, and
At the same time, they in- where immigration is low,
creased by more than 67% population decline can
for women between 35 create labor shortages,
and 39, and by more than higher labor costs and a la-
132% for women between bor force that is supporting
40 and 44, according to retirees, she said.
the Census Bureau analysis "Such changes will put sig-
based on National Center nificant pressure on pro-
for Health Statistics data. grams aimed at supporting
Decisions by college-ed- seniors like Social Security,
ucated women to invest Medicaid, and Medicare,"
in their education and ca- Choi said. "Workers may
reers so they could be bet- have to pay higher taxes to
ter off financially when they support the growing num-
had children, as well as the bers of the retired popula-
desire by working-class tion."
women to wait until they Although the data in the
were more financially se- Census Bureau report stops
cure, have contributed to in 2019, the pandemic over
the shift toward older moth- the past two years has put
erhood, said Philip Cohen, off motherhood even fur-
a University of Maryland so- Abortion-rights supporters rally at the State Capitol, on May 3, 2022, in Oklahoma City. ther for many women, with
ciologist. Associated Press U.S. birth rates in 2020 drop-
In the past, parents often ping 4% in the largest sin-
relied on their children for reached a comfortable an education and career Guttmacher Institute, a re- gle-year decrease in nearly
income — putting them to spot in her career as an played roles. search group that supports 50 years. Choi said there
work in the fields, for ex- executive for a retail com- "Black women have been abortion rights. appears to have been a bit
ample, when the economy pany. pursuing higher education "The burden will fall dispro- of a rebound in the second
was more farm-based. But "It was just an age when I at higher rates," said Rae- portionately on women of half of 2021 to levels similar
over the last century or felt confident all around in gan McDonald-Mosley, an color, Black women, peo- to 2019, but more data is
more in the U.S., parents the many areas of my life," obstetrician and gynecolo- ple without documenta- needed to determine if this
have become more invest- said Trezzi, who lives in New gist, who is CEO of Power tion, people living in rural is a return to a "normal" de-
ed in their children's futures, Jersey, outside New York to Decide, which works areas, people in the South cline. During the pandem-
providing more support City. "I didn't have the con- to reduce teen pregnan- — where there are a lot ic, some women at the end
while they go to school and fidence then that I have cies and unwanted births. of Black women — and in of their reproductive years
enter young adulthood, he now." "Black women are becom- the Midwest," said McDon- may have given up on be-
said. Over the last three de- ing really engaged in their ald-Mosley, who also has coming parents or having
"Having children later most- cades, the largest increas- education and that is an in- served previously as chief more children because of
ly puts women in a better es in the median age at centive to delay childbear- medical officer of Planned economic uncertainties
position," Cohen said. "They which U.S. women give ing." Parenthood Federation of and greater health risks for
have more resources, more birth have been among Since unintended preg- America. pregnant women who get
education. The things we foreign-born women, go- nancies are highest among Motherhood also has been the virus, she said.
demand of people to be ing from ages 27 to 32, and teens and women in their coming later in developed "These women may have
good parents are easier to Black women, going from 20s, and more of their preg- countries in Europe and missed their window to
supply when you are older." ages 24 to 28, according to nancies end in abortion Asia. In the U.S., it could have children," Choi said.
Lani Trezzi, 48, and her hus- the Census Bureau. compared to older wom- contribute to the nation's "Some parents of young
band had their first child, a With foreign-born women, en, ending Roe v. Wade population slowdown since children may have decid-
son, when she was 38, and Cohen said he wasn't quite would likely shift the start the ability to have children ed to forego the second
a daughter followed three sure why the median age of childbearing earlier on tends to decrease with ... birth because they were
years later. Even though increased over time, but it average, in a reverse of age, said Kate Choi, a fam- overwhelmed with the ad-
she had been with her hus- likely was a "complicated the trend of the past three ily demographer at West- ditional child-caring de-
band since she was 23, she story" having to do with decades, "although the ern University in London, mands that emerged dur-
felt no urgency to have their circumstances or rea- magnitude is unknown," Ontario. ing the pandemic, such as
children. That changed sons for coming to the U.S. said Laura Lindberg, princi- In areas of the U.S. where the need to homeschool
in her late 30s, once she'd For Black women, pursuing pal research scientist at the the population isn't replac- their children."q

Liam and Olivia once again dominate

top baby names list

By FATIMA HUSSEIN applications for Social Se- mon names for boys in re-
Associated Press curity cards. spective order: Noah, Oli-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Olivia Based on cultural and de- ver, Elijah, James, William,
and Liam are once again mographic trends, the list Benjamin, Lucas, Henry
America's most common shows how names can rise and Theodore.
baby names. And Theo- and fall in popularity. And for girls, following Oliv-
dore joins the top 10 baby Liam has reigned supreme ia: Emma, Charlotte, Ame-
names list for the first time. five years in a row, while Ol- lia, Ava, Sophia, Isabella,
The Social Security Admin- ivia unseated Emma as the Mia, Evelyn and Harper.
istration annually tracks top name for the past three The "fastest rising" baby
The toes of a baby are seen DHR Health, July 29, 2020, in McAl- the names given to girls years, according to agen- names —which signify the
len, Texas. and boys in each state, cy's list, which was released names growing in popular-
Associated Press
with names dating back to Friday. ity — are Amiri for boys and
1880. The data is based on After Liam, the most com- Raya for girls.q