Sports Sociology

Are You Sure You Want Children?

Nearly 20% of American women don’t have children. In the 1970’s it was 10%. That’s according to the U.S. census. According to the Pew Research Center, women with a bachelor’s degree or higher are the likeliest not to reproduce. Research from Wake Forest University based on a nationally representative study of 11,473 Americans found parents report more depression and emotional distress than their childless counterparts. The book “Stumbling on Happiness” looked at several studies and concluded parents are happier eating, watching television and even exercising than interacting with their children. It seems having children isn’t “child’s play”.

Then there’s single moms. They experience worse health in midlife. In a study published in the journal American Sociological Review, approximately 4,000 women ages 14 to 22 were interviewed yearly from 1979 to 1994 and then twice yearly until 2008. Women who had their first child out of wedlock reported lower levels of health at age 40 than their married counterparts. Getting married later didn’t improve their health – unless they married the biological father, stayed married to him and were white or Hispanic. Researchers attributed the poorer health of single mothers to stress and financial strain. It seems when raising children, “single-mindedness” isn’t enough.

Something else people should consider before having children is college majors. In 2010 the most popular major was business – 24% of students. The least popular were industrial arts and agriculture – with 1.6% of students. Majors with virtually no unemployment were geological and geophysical engineering, military technologies, pharmacology and school student counseling. Salaries for majors ranged from about $120,000 a year for petroleum engineering to $29,000 for counseling psychology. Overall, college graduates made approximately 84% more over a lifetime than high school graduates – making them 84% less likely to move back home.

If after reading all this people still want to have children, energy drinks might help them. However, a clinical report published in Pediatrics warned against children and teenagers drinking energy drinks and sports drinks. The high levels of caffeine and other stimulants in energy drinks interfere with sleep, cause anxiety, raise heartbeats and increase risk of dehydration. As for sports drinks, their primary ingredient is sugar – which contributes to obesity and tooth decay. Young athletes need to exercise intensely for at least an hour before needing the sugar, sodium and potassium in sports drinks. Otherwise, pediatricians recommend children drink water – and reports published in Pediatrics “hold water”.

About the Author

Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting card companies. Presently she writes a 400-word news blog that is published 3 times a week. KNIGHT WATCH is a second look at uniquely interesting news items that requires only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com.

Sociology of Sports

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