As a child, Ohio University admissions and commissions employee and freelance journalist Mary Reed mused that eventually she’d want children of her own. She thought one day she’d be ready.
Reed, 44, now realizes that day won’t arrive.
She said she doesn’t feel an urge to have children and is more than content with living a lifestyle free of parental duties.
Reed is hardly alone in abstaining from having children. In 2012, birth rates in America hit a record low with an average of 63 births per 1,000 women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Athens County has experienced a fertility rate almost half the national average.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, Athens County had 30.1 births for every 1,000 women in 2012. The average Ohio fertility rate stands at 60.5.
Reed said she believes women who have pursued higher education are less likely to have children because of financial restraints as well as career goals.
“People who are pursuing higher education are usually trying to finish their degrees before they have children, which gives them a shorter opportunity. They’re also more career oriented,” Reed said. “Studies show that having children puts you back career wise.”
Pam Born, practice manager at River Rose Obstetrics & Gynecology said women in the county tend to be more educated and understand options related to contraceptives.
Born said she has seen an increased number in patients seeking long-acting birth control. She said Intrauterine devices, which are inserted into the uterus and prevent a woman’s eggs from being fertilized, are common in Athens.
“Athens county is more open to talk about reproduction issues and more likely to seek birth control options, which we’ve done a pretty good job of informing people on,” Born said. “More and more women are becoming stronger about voicing their opinion on how that’s their personal choice.”
Carolyn Miller, a freshman studying aviation, said she has always known she will never be a mother. However, she disagrees with studies stating that choosing to remain childless is a sign of higher education.
“I just don’t think kids are for me,” Miller said. “But I feel like women who manage to have full-time careers and raise children are the ones to definitely be admired.”
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