On the topic the erupted this story appeared on The Australian's website today.
Fertility rate at 10-year highAnyway, this the Indolent Server! Why on earth has the debate shifted from liturgy to fertility...?
PERHAPS spurred on by the baby bonus, Australian women are giving birth at a 10-year record rate, new figures have shown.
Latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics have shown the national fertility rate stands at its highest level since 1995.
A total of 259,800 new babies were registered in 2005, an increase of 5500 over 2004.
The actual fertility rate stands at 1.81 babies per woman, up from 1.77 in 2004 and close to the 1995 rate of 1.82.
Continuing a long-running trend, women in the 30-34 age group proved the nation's most fertile, with 117.5 babies per 1000 in 2005 - the highest rate for that age bracket since 1964.
The median age for mums now stands at 30.7. For dads it is 32.9.
Underlining the changing birth demographic, the median age for mums stood at 27.3 in 1985.
Highlighting yet another change, only 68 per cent of births in 2005 were to parents in a registered marriage, compared to 85 per cent in 1985.
8 comments:
First of all Aaron, I'm not exactly stressed about wanting to get married. It's more the fact that I feel as though I'm running out of time, I would like to be married before I'm 25, otherwise I'd be too old and tired to run after the kids, plus the later I marry the less kids I'll be able to have and then also more chance of breast cancer and more chance that the children I might have will be prone to disability or disease. Don't get me wrong, I'd love my children (If I have any) with or without disease and/or disability.
Honestly I'm not stressed about it, I know it seems as though I am but these things are in the back of my mind, they're not things I generally think about only when the topic comes up.
Dear Anonymous Number 1 (from post 15 under "The Collection" Topic)
There are Different types of feminisms and I do know and see a lot of the Bra burning type of feminists around. Not all feminists are like that, I know. One of my best friends is quite feministic but far from bra-burning.
I do believe that women should get equal pay and maternity leave and the whole lot; I'm not an anti feminist. I also am against the exploitation of women's bodies to sell products.
I don't know in what way you are involved in the feminist movement but I'm just commenting on what I see in society and I see a lot of women trying to act and be manly, I've seen women get angry at men for opening a door for them or offering their seat on a crowded bus.
As to my statement about non-Catholic women who do not want to get married until their second or third child, that was an exaggeration. I was simply trying to say that most women (and probably men too) engage in pre-marital sex. 50 years ago, if you weren't a virgin before marriage you kept it quiet, unless you lived in a particularly unhealthy neighborhood.
I didn't mean any offence and I'm sorry you took it that way.
Dear Anonymous Number 2 (from post 16 under "The Collection" Topic)
I wasn't trying to be judgmental; I believe you misunderstood what I was trying to say.
As for tolerance... well here's a quote from Chesterton which describes my view quite accurately: "Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions"
Really I wasn't labeling anyone; I was making a comment on the standards of society in general.
As to your desire to get married, well actually my point was that it is a girl thing and not just a "Catholic-girl" thing to want to get married.
Lastly I do agree with you that it is better that children grow up with at least one parent than in a foster home. In the long run though I believe it would be better for the children if their parents were married as married people are more "likely" to be prepared for them than un-married couples. Even though divorce rates are high married people are also more likely to stay together than un-married, which is another reason for parents to be married, it's a better life 'generally' for the child or children. In some cases I believe it is the other way round.
Love the inverted commas. They certainly apply. I give up, clearly I can't compete with your ignorance and I'm not going to waste my time trying. Good Luck to you. No hard feelings.
Anonymous Number 2. :)
Oh dear, that's not very nice, least to say charitable.
You see it would be nicer and friendlier if you at least told me where I had gone wrong then I could apologise for my 'ignorance'.
Also I'd never consider it a waste of time to help out someone on the wrong path.
No hard feelings!
(Disclaimer: I know it sounds sarcastic and patronising but it's not meant to)
I feel obliged to comment on the actual topic.
I'm guessing that the fertility rate is based on the birth rate... not how fertile the Australian people actually are. I suppose it would be too difficult to count all the conceptions that take place. Not to mention too gruesome to include the amount of abortions in the fertility rate so that there would be a very large discrepancy between it and the birth rate, something which nobody would like to explain.
You know the divorce statitics for people who live together before they get married is 75%
Anyone kow the statistic of people who live together before they get married?
Amyway, at a guess, I'm sure that adds up to a lot of messed up children.
here is a pic of one of my chasubles in action. Fr Jordan (on the left pouring the wine) is wearing it.
http://www.catholicstudents.org.au/gallery/2005conf/pages/Mass_JPG.htm
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