THEORETICAL ESSAY
Economic State and Fertility Rates
Especially in the United States, the economy is affects many aspects of people’s lives and
a common concern of demographers is the fertility rate. This essay will research the
correlation between the economy and the birth rate in the United States, or whether there
is relatively no significance between these two topics. The implications of this study will
be to help policy makers when they are considering implementing economic packages by
explaining the effects their policies have on fertility. However, there are many factors
that go into family planning and the economy may not be such a large factor, as I may
believe. In other words, the economy may be an insignificant factor when families decide
to have children. This essay will delve into the relationship even deeper by looking as
different races and determine if there is stronger correlation between lower birth rates and
economic distress.
The economy is a very broad term but will be used to refer to the economic
systems of the United States; the labor, capital, and land resources. The health of the
economy can be measured by using many different benchmarks such as GDP and the
stock market. However, the closest benchmark that showcases the effects on individuals
of a country is per capita income. Fertility will be defined as the birth rate in the United
States. The variables listed above will be used to examine the correlation between lower
