Ch 8

What paths to parenthood exist for same-sex couples?

-Artificial insemination (lesbian couples) -Surrogate motherhood (gay male couples) -Joint adoption: both members of a couple adopt a child together -Second parent adoption: non-biological partner adopts child of biological parent

According to the social capital perspective, why do people choose to have children?

-Having children intensifies interaction and assistance from family, neighbors, and adults that parents meet through their children (teachers, other parents, etc.) -Says that we may become closer to our own parents and have the chance to meet more people in the community

How do fertility rates differ by race/ethnicity?

-Hispanic women have the highest fertility rates -Native American/Alaska Native women have the lowest fertility rates -NonHispanic White births are no longer a majority in the U.S.

How do birthrates vary by age group?

-Most births are to women in their 20s -Births to women in their 30s and 40s have increased -Births among adolescents have declined

What are some reasons why people may choose to remain childless?

-Personal fulfillment: not feeling like you need children to be happy -Choosing to focus on one's career or marriage -Concerns about the costs of raising children -Doubting one's parenting skills -Having a family history of genetic diseases

How do transracially adopted children fare in comparison to children adopted by parents of the same race?

-Transracially adopted children don't differ from same-race adopted children in adjustment or problem behavior -differences that exist are connected to feeling or looking different -being raised in mixed-race neighborhoods helps transracially adopted children to be more confident in their racial/ethnic identity

How do fertility rates differ by education and income?

-Women with lower levels of education and income tend to have more children than women with more education and income -With more women working, more are postponing parenthood

What is the ideal family size for most Americans today?

2 children

How common is it for children to have at least one adoptive parent?

7% of children (2010)

total fertility rate

Average number of live births a typical woman has during her lifetime

How common is voluntary childless today? (p. 196) How are adults who choose not to have children viewed in society? (Lecture & pp. 196-197)

Childlessness is more accepted today compared to the past, but it is still stigmatized

According to the "value of children perspective", why do people choose to have children?

Children's emotional significance to parents increased as their economic value decreased over time due to the shift from an agricultural to an industrial society and the development of compulsory education

fertility rate

Number of live children born per year per 1000 women of childbearing age (ages 15-44)

transracial adoption

When an adopted child is of a different race from one or both adoptive parents; about 34% of adoptions

single mothers by choice

Women who intentionally become mothers, although they are not married or with a partner. They are typically older, with economic and educational resources that enable them to be self-supporting.

pronatalist bias

a cultural attitude that takes having children for granted

private adoption

an adoption arranged directly between adoptive parents and the biological birth mother, usually with the assistance of an attorney

public adoption

an adoption that occurs through licensed public agencies

informal adoption

children are taken into a home and considered to be children of the parents, although the "adoption" is not legally formalized

multipartnered fertility

having children with more than one biological partner

The majority of adoptions are what type of adoptions?

open adoptions: birth parents and adoptive parents meet or have some knowledge of each other's identities; preferred by both heterosexual and same-sex couples

dissolved adoption

the child is returned after the adoption is final

involuntary fertility; How common is involuntary fertility for men and women? (p. 207)

the condition of wanting to conceive and bear a child but being physically unable to do so

Replacement level fertility (US 191)

the total fertility rate required to offset the average number of deaths in a population in order to maintain the current population size