The dynamics of sexual reproduction, the pill, abortion and crime statistics.

[mauricio]

This correlations between the changes in various social variables and important events that changed the dynamics of human sexual reproduction are rather interesting. Though I think it will still take more decades of data collecting and analysis to see a more objective picture and to investigate the causal links between the variables. But this video was very thought provoking by giving me a new perspective on the effects of gaining control over such a fundamental aspect of our biological machine: fertility. I wonder if the invention of male fertility control would also bring significant changes to those variables? A problem i have with this video is what are exactly the mechanics he thinks explains correlation between crime and the other variables, it seemed to be unwated children as a result from increased sexual activity while misusing birth control which correlated with single motherhood increasing. But why did single motherhood kept going up without following the other variables even after abortion was legalized?.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1imXIDBOdo

[Baruch]

I am probably biased because I have a daughter.  If she came home pregnant, I would react less harshly than if I had a son who came home after getting a girl pregnant.  Maybe I am old fashioned.  I would support both, but gender percentage wise I would hope that the daughter's sense of responsibility would kick in before a son's sense of responsibility, simply because he doesn't have to bear or labor or suckle the baby.  Thus I would be statistically (something you are fond of) more likely to disown the son than the daughter.  Also with they idea that the son can survive better on his won than a daughter with a baby.

[mauricio]

I am probably biased because I have a daughter.  If she came home pregnant, I would react less harshly than if I had a son who came home after getting a girl pregnant.  Maybe I am old fashioned.  I would support both, but gender percentage wise I would hope that the daughter's sense of responsibility would kick in before a son's sense of responsibility, simply because he doesn't have to bear or labor or suckle the baby.  Thus I would be statistically (something you are fond of) more likely to disown the son than the daughter.  Also with they idea that the son can survive better on his won than a daughter with a baby.

Maybe single motherhood has become more accepted and the ability of raising the child with your family's help reduces the chances of the child devoloping antisocial attitudes compared to single mothers fencing on their own.

[SGOS]

But why did single motherhood kept going up without following the other variables even after abortion was legalized?

Many of the dynamics at play might not be pushing the unwed mother statistics in the same direction.  Catholics forbid birth control for one.  Many people besides Catholics and fundamentalists also oppose abortion.  Many pro-choice single mothers believe abortion is not the right personal choice for them.  So even though abortion is available and a matter of choice, it doesn't necessarily mean women will opt for it in great numbers. 

Also, unwed pregnancy no longer carries the stigma it once did.  For the younger folks here, unwed mothers when I was in high school, were subjected to public shame and humiliation to a degree which would be incomprehensible to any unwed mother under 40 today.  Girls were often abruptly sent away without announcement to live with "aunts" to avoid becoming local pariahs or be forever labeled as sluts.  I wonder if the pill has aided in this modern day acceptance.

Before the pill and legal abortion, there was only two ugly alternatives to unwed pregnancy, face the ridicule of society, including that from judgmental Christians during their Sunday gossip sessions, or go see some quack with a coat hanger in a back alley and hope you wouldn't be left mutilated or dead.  With the availability of abortion today, single mothers now become poster children for the religious right and get a hearty round of applause besides.  And women who do get abortions simply remain silent to avoid the condemnation once reserved for unwed pregnant mothers.

[drunkenshoe]

I would support both, but gender percentage wise I would hope that the daughter's sense of responsibility would kick in before a son's sense of responsibility, simply because he doesn't have to bear or labor or suckle the baby. Also with they idea that the son can survive better on his won than a daughter with a baby.

That's the position of the majority in the world, doesn't matter what people tend to say as the ideal when they are asked, it is what they expect and do. So old fashioned or not, it is pretty much the reality of the parents you voice.

You have just described where the rubber meets the road. The expectation of that sense of responsbility also extends to women's positions and roles in society-life in every level related to that very role, it is almost always them who is expected to be controlled. And presented as stupid when act like a human. It's out of the standard anyway.

[Baruch]

Maybe single motherhood has become more accepted and the ability of raising the child with your family's help reduces the chances of the child devoloping antisocial attitudes compared to single mothers fencing on their own.

We don't live in villages here anymore, where there are lots of helpful aunts and uncles and cousins to play with.  We live in a urban jungle where the most popular TV show is about zombies.  A show where the baby is autistic and at a young age kills and eats its mother ... would be worth branding.

There is a problem with stigma ... but the real stigma is against single fathers raising children.  The stigma against single mothers ... is part of the general misogyny.

I recognize the difficulty that young sexually active people face ... I am atypical myself, being a virgin until early adulthood.  The abstinence route isn't realistic for most young people.

Part of the stigma on unwed mothers, is how marriage works in one's culture.  If the culture is such that the girl's parents are expected to care for her and the grandchild ... then that is an economic hit on the girl's parents.  If opposite, then the boy's parents are stuck with the expenses.  These expenses are now considerable compared to primitive times if you live in a First World country.

I know from my family history or friend's history ... that in many cases the couple, even if married, are incompetent or lacking in resources to raise a child.  Many grandparents take this duty over (the question is, which grandparents ... and are they the right pair pragmatically, not traditionally).  And in prior times, unwed pregnancy on the girl, was fatal for her.

[TomFoolery]

Well, a lot of people just assume if you're pregnant and don't want a baby, just give it up for adoption. That's the obvious answer to single motherhood, is a "traditional," nuclear family that will love and nurture a bundle of joy when no one else can. That tries to paint a really complex personal and psychological issue as if it pregnancy and childbirth were as easy as going to a pawn shop to sell an old TV that doesn't work. Adoption rates have held pretty steady, and you would think they would go up alongside abortions in areas where birth control access is limited. They don't. Here's why:

1. Legal issues. I think we all know that if a birth father wants to give a baby up but the mother doesn't, too bad. But in many states if the birth mother wants to give the baby up but the father doesn't, too bad. Fathers may not get exactly the same rights as mothers, but they often still have some. It's why I chose to have an abortion rather than have a baby. The birth father would have never consented to an adoption, and I'd probably be paying child support to him to raise our child. No thanks.
2. Pregnancy does a lot of whacky things to your body, least of all is hormones. Many women who swore adoption was the only choice more often than not end up backing out because the swell of oxytocin and other chemicals conspires against common sense immediately following birth.
3. Add to that pressure from other outside sources like family members who swear you will regret giving up their grandchild, niece/nephew, sibling, whatever for the rest of your life and promises of help and support that may or may not materialize, and you're back at a recipe for keeping a baby rather than adopting it out. People move around a lot more and logistical family support can end up being impossible.