HAGERSTOWN, MD - According to a study just released by the Pew Research Center, the U.S. birth rate is at a record low: For every 1,000 women, there's only 63.2 births.
This rate is half of what it was from its peak in 1957, and after the worst recession in decades in 2007, the birth rate plummeted for immigrant women, especially in the Mexican community.
Maria Wentzel is a well-known volunteer teacher in the Hagerstown Hispanic community. She says migrant work in the U.S. is causing less births.
"Some of the people who come to work, maybe they are men by themselves, they left their families back home, or they don't bring their whole family. They cannot afford to just have one, two, three, four, five kids like they may be doing in their own countries," says Maria Wentzel, a volunteer Spanish teacher at the Community Life Institute in Hagerstown.
And even if they're not migrant workers, Maria since the Hispanic community is very busy working.
"Many of the parents work a lot. If the mom isn't home during the day time, daddy's out at night time, so at what time can they do that? It's just very hard," adds Maria.
Some believe Americans are just more educated these days, as far as birth control and how much a family really costs.
"If you want to give a good quality, quality life, quality education, that's what is happening. It's like a campaign, we will have the children that we can afford and that we can give the best to," says Maria.
She says it's amazing that her past generations have had seven, ten, or even fifteen siblings, but the economy has put a very high price on having large families today.
This rate is half of what it was from its peak in 1957, and after the worst recession in decades in 2007, the birth rate plummeted for immigrant women, especially in the Mexican community.
Maria Wentzel is a well-known volunteer teacher in the Hagerstown Hispanic community. She says migrant work in the U.S. is causing less births.
"Some of the people who come to work, maybe they are men by themselves, they left their families back home, or they don't bring their whole family. They cannot afford to just have one, two, three, four, five kids like they may be doing in their own countries," says Maria Wentzel, a volunteer Spanish teacher at the Community Life Institute in Hagerstown.
And even if they're not migrant workers, Maria since the Hispanic community is very busy working.
"Many of the parents work a lot. If the mom isn't home during the day time, daddy's out at night time, so at what time can they do that? It's just very hard," adds Maria.
Some believe Americans are just more educated these days, as far as birth control and how much a family really costs.
"If you want to give a good quality, quality life, quality education, that's what is happening. It's like a campaign, we will have the children that we can afford and that we can give the best to," says Maria.
She says it's amazing that her past generations have had seven, ten, or even fifteen siblings, but the economy has put a very high price on having large families today.
