Whether or not you should become a parentis often a fraught decision.With theUS fertility rate at an all-time low, more people are rejecting the idea that you have to have children.While it's ultimately your decision, there are several factors at playthat potential future parents should consider.If you're looking for astraightforward answer to the question of whether or not you should have a child, you'll be sorry to hear that it doesn't exist.Certainly, there are several reasons people shouldn't have children your decision to become a parent could make your life utterly miserable and send your career careening into the abyss.But, then again, it could be the most fulfilling decision you've ever made and set you up to take on the world.Or it could fall somewhere in the middle.Simply put, it's complicatedand in many ways, too subjectiveand I doubt we'll ever have a comprehensive, one-size-fits-all answer. The decision is, ultimately, up to you.But hopefully, these studies will begin to unpack the question of whether you should or shouldn't have children and help you better understand the factors at play.SEE ALSO:The science behind why paid parental leave is good for everyoneDON'T MISS:Science says parents of successful kids have 17 things in commonHaving a child contributes to global warmingIn the bioethics world, there has been some discussion of late regarding the morality of having children considering the effect on the environment.Writing for CNBC,Travis Rieder, the assistant director for education initiatives, director of the Master of Bioethics degree program, and research scholar at the Berman Institute of Bioethics, argues thathaving a child is a major contributor to climate change, and the logical takeaway is that everyoneshouldconsider having fewer children.Rieder cites research out of Oregon State University that found that having one fewerchild would have a far greater effect on carbon dioxide emissions, and therefore be one of the best things things you could do for theenvironment, compared toreducinghome energy use, travel, food choices, and otherroutine activities that result in carbon dioxideemissions.Parents, especially mothers, face bias in the workplace"Motherhood triggers assumptions that women are less competent and less committed to their careers," reads a recent report out ofLeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company."As a result, they are held to higher standards and presented with fewer opportunities."The report points toa study out of Cornellthat foundemployers tended to discriminate against mothers.As part of the study, researchers sent employers fake, almost identicalrsums withone major difference: somersums indicated that the job applicant waspart of aparent-teacher association.While male job candidates whosersums mentioned the parent-teacher associationwere called back more often than men whosersums didn't, women whoalluded to parenthood in this way were half as likely to get called back than women who didn't.The study participants also rated mothers as the least desirable job candidates and deemed themless competent and committed than women without children or men. At the same time,applicants who were fathers were rated significantly more committedto their job than non-fathersandwere allowed to be late towork significantly more times than non-fathers.You may earn less money if you're a mother"For most men the fact of fatherhood results in a wage bonus; for most women motherhood results in a wage penalty," research group Third Way's presidentJonathan Cowan and resident scholarDr. Elaine C. Kamarckwriteabout"The Fatherhood Bonus and The Motherhood Penalty: Parenthood and the Gender Gap in Pay."In the academic paper, authorMichelle J. Budig, a professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, writes that, "While the gender pay gap has been decreasing, the pay gap related to parenthood is increasing."In her 15 years of research on the topic, Budig found that,on average, men earn 6% more when they have and live witha child, while women earn 4% less for every child they have.Sadly,"the women who least can afford it, pay the largest proportionate penalty for motherhood," ashigh-income men seethe biggest pay raisefor having childrenwhilelow-income womensee the biggest dip."A lot of these effects really are very much due to a cultural bias against mothers,"Correll tells The New York Times.The New York Times notesthat in her previous work, Budig found that dads taking more parental leave mitigates the motherhood penalty, as evidenced by countries like Sweden that incentivize fathers to take paid leave and have a smaller pay gap.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Click here to read full news..
