Recent family-related news included a study of siblings in Taiwan revealing that children of divorced parents are less likely to attend college due to psychological reasons, an uptick in the number of single mothers entering the work force, questioning whether sperm banks should be better regulated, a look at the effect of an only child on a marriage, and a new study revealing the positive effect on a new mother’s health when her partner is physically available to help.
Children of Divorce are Less Likely to Attend College, But Not Necessarily Because of Financial Reasons Jacob Passy, Marketwatch, May 29, 2019 Researchers analyzed a sample of one million siblings in Taiwan to study how divorce affects educational attainment… Findings revealed that children with divorced parents are less likely to go to college because of psychological, not financial, reasons.
Single Mothers Are Surging Into the Work Force Claire Cain Miller and Ernie Tedeschi, The New York Times, May 29, 2019 Since 2015 the share of young single mothers in the work force has climbed about four percentage points, driven by those without college degrees, according to a New York Times analysis of Current Population Survey data… A booming economy is one reason, along with state and local family-friendly policies, but also a fraying federal safety net.
My Marriage Has a Third Wheel: Our Child Jancee Dunn, The New York Times, May 30, 2019 According to a Pew Research analysis of 2015 U.S. Census Bureau data, today 18 percent of mothers at the end of their childbearing years have an only child — up from 10 percent in 1976… An only child can make the relationship between Mom and Dad uniquely complicated… As family psychologists such as Dr. Carl E. Pickhardt, Ph.D., point out, only children often feel like one of the adults.
Their Children Were Conceived With Donated Sperm. It Was the Wrong Sperm. Jacqueline Mroz, The New York Times, June 3, 2019 There are no national statistics on the number of children born through artificial insemination each year, although some experts have estimated the number may be as high as 60,000… As genetic testing becomes more widespread, parents are finding that sperm used in artificial insemination did not come from the donors they chose.
Sweden Finds a Simple Way to Improve New Mothers’ Health. It Involves Fathers. Claire Cain Miller, The New York Times, June 4, 2019 A new study suggests a way to make a significant difference in mothers’ postpartum health: Give the other parent paid leave, and the flexibility to use it on days the mother needs extra support, even if it just means a couple of days at home.
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