Childlessness in the United States
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Level 4 by design analogy (descriptive demographic analysis using historical cohort fertility tables and periodic surveys; not clinical CEBM).
OpenAlex W2576707132 · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-44667-7_8
What was done
Analyzed US cohort fertility tables and periodic survey data to trace historical patterns and categorize types of childlessness (temporary, involuntary, and voluntary) across the 20th and early 21st centuries.
What was found
Childlessness doubled from 10% in the mid-1970s to about 20% by the mid-2000s. Rates varied historically, peaking during the Great Depression of the 1930s and dropping during the late 1940s through 1960s. Black childlessness was higher than White childlessness for much of the 20th century, but subsequently fell below that of White individuals.
Why it matters
Synthesizes long-term demographic shifts to contextualize how socioeconomic pressures, labor participation, racial inequalities, and institutional factors influence family formation.
Limits
The abstract reports no sample sizes, standard errors, or formal causal modeling. The interaction of cultural attitudes and material constraints is noted as poorly understood, limiting predictive accuracy.
Cited by
- context Under current US fertility patterns, 40% of 15-year-old females in the US will never become mothers.