“There was an old lady who lived in a shoe…”

Although the population of the U.S. has continued to increase in recent years, the trend of having fewer children per household has gained momentum. Among the noticeable effects of this trend are a higher standard of living for middle-class families and an increased female work force. But what is the driving force behind this new ideology, and can it be expected to maintain its hold on American society? One obvious reason for a couple to choose to have fewer children is technological advancements of the modern day. Two generations ago, most families had as many children as possible in hopes of bearing strong boys able to help with farm work. But as advancements have been made, the number of farming households in the U.S. has steadily declined, most recently plummeting near the two percent mark. And aiding Americans in having fewer pregnancies are developments in birth control and contraceptives. Parents can now effectively stick to their plan of having a trendy two-child family, staying within the scope of the American average of between two and three children per household. The cost of starting a family in today’s America may not come to mind instantly as a contributing factor to the trend of having fewer children but should be, nevertheless, examined as another feasible cause. Beginning a family early in life (say mid-twenties) can take a toll on a new couple’s income. Having been out of college only a few years, parents-to-be may still be paying off student loans or working their ways up the corporate ladders of their new careers (Poniewozik 56). These realities alone can make the option of waiting until later in life to begin a family (inevitably limiting the number of children) or simply planning on fewer children attractive alternatives to the five-or-six children households of last generation’s couples. However, even a couple desiring a “quiver full of arrows” at the right time may be forced to reconsider by and unexpected pregnancy. Half of