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mattiecvandiver 's review for:
Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth
by Catherine Pakaluk
She really lost me on the LAST page of this book where she calls public education “a government cartel designed to compete against religious schools,” BUT overall an interesting read.
This book is the culmination of the author’s research on women with college degrees who chose to have 5+ children (many have 7+). She concludes that the reason birth rates are low are due to a lack of value placed on children, particularly outside religious communities, and that those in religious communities are more likely to value children for xyz reason. Makes sense.
Though understandably outside of the scope of her research, I wish the book had addressed more about the financial situation of these families and how finances play a part in large families. It is quite obvious that although evidence may not point to tax credits/economic subsidies increasing the birth rate, a good many of her interviewees had a certain level of wealth. Additionally, I’d be interested to read some negative experiences of children/siblings in large families.
Because the author herself is Catholic and has a large family (which she acknowledges), it also felt biased and in some parts she seemed to make assumptions that were not clearly derived from her interviews.
I, too, value children, but probably not enough to have 8 of them! :)
This book is the culmination of the author’s research on women with college degrees who chose to have 5+ children (many have 7+). She concludes that the reason birth rates are low are due to a lack of value placed on children, particularly outside religious communities, and that those in religious communities are more likely to value children for xyz reason. Makes sense.
Though understandably outside of the scope of her research, I wish the book had addressed more about the financial situation of these families and how finances play a part in large families. It is quite obvious that although evidence may not point to tax credits/economic subsidies increasing the birth rate, a good many of her interviewees had a certain level of wealth. Additionally, I’d be interested to read some negative experiences of children/siblings in large families.
Because the author herself is Catholic and has a large family (which she acknowledges), it also felt biased and in some parts she seemed to make assumptions that were not clearly derived from her interviews.
I, too, value children, but probably not enough to have 8 of them! :)