Is Voluntary Childlessness As Seen In Humans Prevalent In Other Species?

[th.w.heller]

I have always had an interest in the relative influence of innate drives on human behavior. It's drummed into us that the two most powerful drives are survival and procreation. I have several colleagues who consistently espouse the power of an individual's "chemistry" or "genetics" for his/her behavior. Given this I was rather surprised to find that the percentage of American women of childbearing age (defined as 19 to 44) defining themselves as voluntarily childless is steadily rising from 2.4% in 1982 to 6.6% in 1995 (National Center of Health Statistics). Some analysts are even predicting that up to 30% of recent cohorts of women will choose to be childless.

My interest does not lie in why women are making this choice - that is entirely their own business. What interests me is how this trend appears to buck some of the more deterministic theories of human behavior - how do voluntarily childless women maximize their fitness etc? Do any other species evidence similar figures?

 

[spidergoat]

Women don't give a crap about the evolutionary future of the species. They are born to have certain nurturing traits which can be satisfied other ways, and to like sex (ditto). These traits have historically been enough to ensure the continuation of the species. The small percentage of people that don't follow the trend do not matter, given how many people there are.

 

[Bishadi]

I have several colleagues who consistently espouse the power of an individual's "chemistry" or "genetics" for his/her behavior.

they choose, as chemistry and genetic reaction doesn't make sense

My interest does not lie in why women are making this choice - that is entirely their own business.

But that is the learned issue. They are choosing not to, but most are having sex. So the physical act chemically speaking as genetically programmed is occurring

They are choosing not to procreate (perhaps not wanting the responsibility)

What interests me is how this trend appears to buck some of the more deterministic theories of human behavior - how do voluntarily childless women maximize their fitness etc?

for looks; going to the gym

'how do' is kind of funny

ie... perhaps run the demographics http://www.demographic-research.org/

http://search.demogr.mpg.de/search/...#@sysdate=>=&@sysdate=&targetsvr=dr&t=-420&s=

Do any other species evidence similar figures?

mice will eat their young when food is short.


The idea is simple though; if people realized when they die, they are not going some place else and that to reproduce is purely to live beyond this period of choice; then procreation would be back to the basics; to survive.

Men, Women and religious folk (per se Pius) often make the choice based on what is important to them as their priority but reality is reality; if you want to live beyond this period; best give of your energy for something that lives beyond your days. ie..... each has a portion of the life from every ancestor since the beginning of time within and if ever there was a break, they would not be here.

So the divide between instinct (survival) versus.. a conscious choice, which is simply clouded with ignorance and the self.

Most don't even know what life is nor appreciate it.