When times are hard, babies are NOT a priority for men. A new study has revealed that the number of vasectomies increased drastically from 2006 to 2010, when the nation's economy took a huge hit. Rather than risk the possibility of bringing new life into the world at a time when they probably weren't feeling too confident about providing for them, about 150,000 to 180,000 more men per year during the Great Recession made a permanent birth control choice.
The National Survey for Family Growth discovered that 3.9 percent of men reported having a vasectomy in 2006 -- and that the percentage spiked to 4.4 percent in 2010. Since fewer men were earning as much money during those years and many lacked health insurance and full-time employment, it stands to reason that many men simply don't see the lean years as an ideal time in which to have and raise children.
These findings coincide with earlier research that showed birth rates fell 4 percent between 2007 and 2009.
Researchers didn't focus on women this time around, but the survey found that there was no increase in the number of women who obtained birth control or chose sterilization as a birth control method during the recession.
What's interesting -- and what we have no idea about yet -- is whether these same men who underwent vasectomies have regrets about their choice now that the economy has improved slightly. Was theirs a spur-of-the-moment decision or a well thought-out one? And how do the women in their lives feel about that move now?
Have you ever opted to wait until your economic situation was better before having a baby?
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