Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Precis:
Many people will find this book disrespectful or otherwise offensive. In fact, when I was writing it, I often wondered if people were questioning my sanity. However, I find the subject fascinating, and worth sharing. Cadavers are often disassembled, and the different parts are used for medical students to practice various procedures on - for instance, heads are used to practice face lifts. Only until recently did the people dissecting or otherwise using cadavers begin to feel guilty about what they were doing - one woman told me about her disgrace when she unwrapped a pair of hands to find the fingernails painted with nail polish. Historically, a deficiency in cadavers has caused anatomists to go to extreme lengths to find dead bodies to dissect - including paying people to dig up recently buried bodies. The University of Tennessee Medical Center is the only one in the world dedicated to studying how humans decay - they leave dead bodies outside, and study them throughout various stages of decomposition. When a body is embalmed, it is preserved only temporarily, long enough that it will look presentable for an open casket memorial service. Cadavers are also used to study what can happen to a person in a car crash, which can help car manufacturers build cars that are safer to drive.
Quotes:
"The problem with cadavers is that they look so much like people. It's the reason most of us prefer a pork chop to a slice of whole suckling pig. It's the reason we say "pork" and "beef" instead of "pig" and "cow." Dissection and surgical instruction, like meat-eating, require a carefully maintained set of illusions and denial. Physicians and anatomy students must learn to think of cadavers as wholly unrelated to the people they once were." (21)
"It is tempting to believe that the author's impersonal references to the corpses belie some sense of discomfort with his activities. He does not dwell upon their looks or muse about their sorry fate. He cannot bring himself to refer to the dead as anything other than a size or gender. Only occasionally do the bodies merit a noun." (45)
"Life contains these things: leakage and wickage and discharge, pus and snot and slime and gleet. We are biology. We are reminded of this at the beginning and the end, at birth and at death. In between we do what we can to forget." (84)
Analysis:
I was oddly undisturbed by anything in the book so far. I thought I would be; however, it seems more enthralling than disgusting. But I realize to many, the book would be very disturbing; as the author said, there will be people who think that to do anything to a dead person other then bury or cremate them is wrong. This is understandable once one reads about the many things that are done to cadavers when they are "donated to science" - they could be used for plastic surgeons to practice on, or as a dummy in a car-crash test. Some people would initially think of donating one's body to science as an altruistic act, imagining a scientist finding the cure to an infectious disease as a result of dissecting it - but they might change their mind if they found out people were instead using it to practice doing nose jobs. Maybe there will one day be a way in which someone could get to choose what happened to them if they decided to donate their body to science. On the other hand, if that happened, there would be far fewer cadavers for plastic surgeons to practice on, which could lead to increased risks for people undergoing cosmetic surgery (including people having necessary reconstructive surgery).
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
HW 48 - Family Perspectives on the Care of the Dead
I interviewed two of my aunts, M and F.
Me and my aunt M discussed how death is portrayed in popular culture. She said: "In pop culture, death is scary and cold, full of ghouls, ghosts, and dread. In our culture, children are screened from any exposure to it, not taken to funerals, not seeing frail elderly people at all in their lives, and generally not wanting to. I'm convinced that we 20th century Americans do everything possible to avoid being close to dying or old people. We go to hospitals to die in sterile impersonal surroundings. We send our frail elderly to nursing homes to be cared for by strangers. I was brought up thinking that this was correct and desirable."
Her idea about how death is hidden from normal life reminded me of when this was discussed in the illness and dying unit, and how everyone came to the conclusion that people shouldn't have to die in a hospital hooked up to machines, and should instead get to die at home. I thought that what she said certainly aligned itself with my experience - although I wasn't really sheltered from death (I just didn't ever know anyone who died), it certainly wasn't shoved in my face. However, it seems natural to want to avoid talking about death, because that would involve facing the fact that it's going to happen, and there are enough unpleasant things to think about in one's life aside from the fact that it is going to end one day. But I understood what she was trying to say: it is good to question the idea that we should send dying people away to hospitals, because this makes death seem like something scary instead of something natural.
I also asked her about ways of caring for the dead that she has seen. She said: "I have attended traditional Catholic funerals and wakes with lots of kneeling prayers and crying sobs, but much storytelling and riotous memories. And I've been to very still formal funerals with open caskets and impersonal words. And I've been to memorial services with singing and dancing, and sweet hugs." The general sense I got from her descriptions was that the more formal funerals, where people's feelings are suppressed and everyone is composed, aren't as meaningful as the ones where people are sharing stories and letting feelings show. This made me wonder what it would be like if funerals were always happy occasions, if anyone would question this and wonder why people celebrated someone being gone.
When I interviewed my other aunt, F, she talked about how she decided to become an organ donor because she liked the "idea of the person who died being able to continue to help the living." This was something I forgot about in my initial thoughts, probably because it isn't really a dominant practice in the U.S., although I know that in some countries it is - everyone is automatically an organ donor unless they opt out of it. I was thinking that maybe I should be an organ donor, but then I thought no, what if someone awful gets to stay alive because they have my kidney or something? I could never live with myself if I allowed that to happen.
F also mentioned that at memorial services she likes talking with others about the deceased person, because she gets to hear stories that help her remember them, and she gets to meet other people who knew the person well. I liked this idea, that someone could meet people and make friends in the wake of a death, that the event would help someone forge connections they wouldn't have made otherwise.
I realize that I've gone on too much about my own thoughts and reactions to my family member's thoughts, and that this is starting to sound too much like my journey of self discovery instead of analysis. However, I can't really do too much analysis, as my two aunts are sisters and very close, and basically agree on everything. I will say that their way of approaching death is certainly contradictory to the cultural norm, or at the very least contradictory to what I know the cultural norm to be. I've also learned that my aunts outright refuse to be sad about anything, even the one thing that you would think people would agree is something to be sad about.
Me and my aunt M discussed how death is portrayed in popular culture. She said: "In pop culture, death is scary and cold, full of ghouls, ghosts, and dread. In our culture, children are screened from any exposure to it, not taken to funerals, not seeing frail elderly people at all in their lives, and generally not wanting to. I'm convinced that we 20th century Americans do everything possible to avoid being close to dying or old people. We go to hospitals to die in sterile impersonal surroundings. We send our frail elderly to nursing homes to be cared for by strangers. I was brought up thinking that this was correct and desirable."
Her idea about how death is hidden from normal life reminded me of when this was discussed in the illness and dying unit, and how everyone came to the conclusion that people shouldn't have to die in a hospital hooked up to machines, and should instead get to die at home. I thought that what she said certainly aligned itself with my experience - although I wasn't really sheltered from death (I just didn't ever know anyone who died), it certainly wasn't shoved in my face. However, it seems natural to want to avoid talking about death, because that would involve facing the fact that it's going to happen, and there are enough unpleasant things to think about in one's life aside from the fact that it is going to end one day. But I understood what she was trying to say: it is good to question the idea that we should send dying people away to hospitals, because this makes death seem like something scary instead of something natural.
I also asked her about ways of caring for the dead that she has seen. She said: "I have attended traditional Catholic funerals and wakes with lots of kneeling prayers and crying sobs, but much storytelling and riotous memories. And I've been to very still formal funerals with open caskets and impersonal words. And I've been to memorial services with singing and dancing, and sweet hugs." The general sense I got from her descriptions was that the more formal funerals, where people's feelings are suppressed and everyone is composed, aren't as meaningful as the ones where people are sharing stories and letting feelings show. This made me wonder what it would be like if funerals were always happy occasions, if anyone would question this and wonder why people celebrated someone being gone.
When I interviewed my other aunt, F, she talked about how she decided to become an organ donor because she liked the "idea of the person who died being able to continue to help the living." This was something I forgot about in my initial thoughts, probably because it isn't really a dominant practice in the U.S., although I know that in some countries it is - everyone is automatically an organ donor unless they opt out of it. I was thinking that maybe I should be an organ donor, but then I thought no, what if someone awful gets to stay alive because they have my kidney or something? I could never live with myself if I allowed that to happen.
F also mentioned that at memorial services she likes talking with others about the deceased person, because she gets to hear stories that help her remember them, and she gets to meet other people who knew the person well. I liked this idea, that someone could meet people and make friends in the wake of a death, that the event would help someone forge connections they wouldn't have made otherwise.
I realize that I've gone on too much about my own thoughts and reactions to my family member's thoughts, and that this is starting to sound too much like my journey of self discovery instead of analysis. However, I can't really do too much analysis, as my two aunts are sisters and very close, and basically agree on everything. I will say that their way of approaching death is certainly contradictory to the cultural norm, or at the very least contradictory to what I know the cultural norm to be. I've also learned that my aunts outright refuse to be sad about anything, even the one thing that you would think people would agree is something to be sad about.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
HW 46 - Initial Thoughts on the Care of the Dead
My only previous experience with this topic was when I was 11, and my father's family had a memorial for my grandparents, who had died when I was young. They had it then because my grandparents donated their bodies to science, and it took a while to get back whatever was left, which had been cremated. I just remember feeling like I was playing a part by being somber and sad; after all, I never really knew them, I just knew I was supposed to be respectful for other people's feelings. I don't think this really counts as previous experience, because as I said, I didn't really know them. Other than that experience, I know little other than what I've read in books and seen in movies. It's odd to know so little about something that happens all the time, and something that nearly everyone I know has been through at this point in our lives. Most people haven't gone 17 years without knowing someone who died, who is dead, who will die soon.
Because I have gone my whole life without having been through this experience, I haven't really been taught a way to think of and act towards dead people. I know it's supposed to be sad, obviously; I know you aren't supposed to celebrate the fact that someone is dead, but rather celebrate their life. I know that once someone is dead, no one ever brings up the bad things they have done, only the good things. I'm not sure what the social norms surrounding this topic are, simply because it isn't often discussed. Most people I know say they'd like to be cremated, but I don't think that is the norm; I would imagine that the "normal" thing to do would be a funeral, as this is what it usually portrayed on TV and in movies.I think this unit will be interesting, because I won't have many predispositions about the way people are "supposed to" be taken care of - what I learn will be the way I first think about it.
Questions:
- How did cremation become an acceptable practice for care of the dead?
- What is the difference between a funeral and a memorial, and how/why do the two get confused?
- What happens before someone is put in a coffin?
- Which ways of caring for the dead are less harmful to the environment?
- What role does religion play in the decision of how to care for the dead?
Because I have gone my whole life without having been through this experience, I haven't really been taught a way to think of and act towards dead people. I know it's supposed to be sad, obviously; I know you aren't supposed to celebrate the fact that someone is dead, but rather celebrate their life. I know that once someone is dead, no one ever brings up the bad things they have done, only the good things. I'm not sure what the social norms surrounding this topic are, simply because it isn't often discussed. Most people I know say they'd like to be cremated, but I don't think that is the norm; I would imagine that the "normal" thing to do would be a funeral, as this is what it usually portrayed on TV and in movies.I think this unit will be interesting, because I won't have many predispositions about the way people are "supposed to" be taken care of - what I learn will be the way I first think about it.
Questions:
- How did cremation become an acceptable practice for care of the dead?
- What is the difference between a funeral and a memorial, and how/why do the two get confused?
- What happens before someone is put in a coffin?
- Which ways of caring for the dead are less harmful to the environment?
- What role does religion play in the decision of how to care for the dead?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
HW 45 - Reply to Other Peoples' Comments
@Lily: Thanks! I was also initially interested in this topic because people always told me I would want kids later in life, but I never got why. I was actually glad to know that there were biological reasons behind people having kids, because up until I learned that I always assumed people just did it because it's a "rite of passage".
@Elizabeth: I actually did ask my mom about my birth, and why she decided she wanted kids. She just said she always liked children, and she felt she was financially and emotionally "ready" to have kids. I decided not to include this because I wanted to focus more on the decision-making aspect, and she always knew she wanted kids - there wasn't really a decision to be made.
@Elizabeth: I actually did ask my mom about my birth, and why she decided she wanted kids. She just said she always liked children, and she felt she was financially and emotionally "ready" to have kids. I decided not to include this because I wanted to focus more on the decision-making aspect, and she always knew she wanted kids - there wasn't really a decision to be made.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
HW 44 - Comments on Other People's Projects
My comments on other people's blogs:
Beatrice:
You gave some background information about the history of planned parenthood and attempts made by house Republicans to cut funding for it. I particularly liked your video, because it was fun and very creative, but still related to your project. It also showed that high school kids care about issues such as this one. Your project matters to me as I have been doing research for a paper about the spending cuts Republicans have proposed, and how these cuts will affect various programs (They also planned to cut money from schools and programs like head start, which would lead to many teacher layoffs, and fewer resources for students). The only advice I would give is to give an explanation of what the video is about at the beginning or end of it.
Chris:
You explained how what you learned in class led you to want to interview a nurse or doctor, and then you told the story of you quest to find someone to interview. You also documented this journey, along with the responses from the doctor you interviewed. I particularly valued the fact that you interviewed various people after you couldn't find a doctor, and that you were willing to get kicked out of Babies R Us for the sake of this project. Your project matters to me because you wanted to hear other people's opinions about pregnancy and birth, and why they had these opinions. One thing I thought you could have done would be to analyze one of the interviews, or how what the doctor told you did or didn't match up with what you knew previously.
Amhara:
You interviewed your mother about your birth, and then gave her information about birth that we learned in class. I liked that you acknowledged that you had a biased opinion going into the project - people don't always realize or admit to this. You project matters because you brought up the idea of birthing centers, which hasn't really been discussed. The only advice I would give is to make it more clear what the intention of the project is.
Elizabeth:
You started with a personal story and then interviewed people on their thoughts regarding same-sex adoption. I liked how you explained your earlier confusion about the subject - this made it clear why you chose to investigate this particular topic. Your research and interviews matter to me because they highlight differing opinions - someone said that the child might be affected if they didn't have a role model of gender, but your research implies that this wouldn't matter, the child would be fine. One thing you could have done was interview a same sex couple, or the adopted child of a same sex couple, to get their perspective.
Comments on my blog:
Lily (Protege):
Hey- wonderful work (as usual)!!!! You write with journalistic professional-ish-ness but you maintain a still warm presence. Also, this issue is very interesting to be because I am one of those people who says she doesn't want kids- because the whole giving birth process really grosses me out. Everyone is always telling me how I'll get over it when I'm older and I always question that so the "baby fever" paragraph was fascinating to me. I guess the phenomenon makes sense because everyone is always talking about how you'll get it when you're older. I couldn't find anything to correct in your work, excellent job!!!!
Elizabeth:
Your work focused on the question "Why do people choose to have children or not?". This was a unique subject that we did not examine in class and I thought that it was nice to hear about a new perspective of birth. Your project mattered to me because I think about the future a lot and whether or not I'll have children. I think to further your project you could have gotten a little more "personal" and maybe interviewed your parents or something on the subject. Great job!
Jasper:
Sophia you're project went into reasons why people in the U.S. decide to have and not have children. I like how you explore so many reasons to have or not have children and you use statistics and surveys for evidence. This is important to me because I was also very curious about the reasons for having children because it seems like something almost everyone wants at some point in their life.
Beatrice:
You gave some background information about the history of planned parenthood and attempts made by house Republicans to cut funding for it. I particularly liked your video, because it was fun and very creative, but still related to your project. It also showed that high school kids care about issues such as this one. Your project matters to me as I have been doing research for a paper about the spending cuts Republicans have proposed, and how these cuts will affect various programs (They also planned to cut money from schools and programs like head start, which would lead to many teacher layoffs, and fewer resources for students). The only advice I would give is to give an explanation of what the video is about at the beginning or end of it.
Chris:
You explained how what you learned in class led you to want to interview a nurse or doctor, and then you told the story of you quest to find someone to interview. You also documented this journey, along with the responses from the doctor you interviewed. I particularly valued the fact that you interviewed various people after you couldn't find a doctor, and that you were willing to get kicked out of Babies R Us for the sake of this project. Your project matters to me because you wanted to hear other people's opinions about pregnancy and birth, and why they had these opinions. One thing I thought you could have done would be to analyze one of the interviews, or how what the doctor told you did or didn't match up with what you knew previously.
Amhara:
You interviewed your mother about your birth, and then gave her information about birth that we learned in class. I liked that you acknowledged that you had a biased opinion going into the project - people don't always realize or admit to this. You project matters because you brought up the idea of birthing centers, which hasn't really been discussed. The only advice I would give is to make it more clear what the intention of the project is.
Elizabeth:
You started with a personal story and then interviewed people on their thoughts regarding same-sex adoption. I liked how you explained your earlier confusion about the subject - this made it clear why you chose to investigate this particular topic. Your research and interviews matter to me because they highlight differing opinions - someone said that the child might be affected if they didn't have a role model of gender, but your research implies that this wouldn't matter, the child would be fine. One thing you could have done was interview a same sex couple, or the adopted child of a same sex couple, to get their perspective.
Comments on my blog:
Lily (Protege):
Hey- wonderful work (as usual)!!!! You write with journalistic professional-ish-ness but you maintain a still warm presence. Also, this issue is very interesting to be because I am one of those people who says she doesn't want kids- because the whole giving birth process really grosses me out. Everyone is always telling me how I'll get over it when I'm older and I always question that so the "baby fever" paragraph was fascinating to me. I guess the phenomenon makes sense because everyone is always talking about how you'll get it when you're older. I couldn't find anything to correct in your work, excellent job!!!!
Elizabeth:
Your work focused on the question "Why do people choose to have children or not?". This was a unique subject that we did not examine in class and I thought that it was nice to hear about a new perspective of birth. Your project mattered to me because I think about the future a lot and whether or not I'll have children. I think to further your project you could have gotten a little more "personal" and maybe interviewed your parents or something on the subject. Great job!
Jasper:
Sophia you're project went into reasons why people in the U.S. decide to have and not have children. I like how you explore so many reasons to have or not have children and you use statistics and surveys for evidence. This is important to me because I was also very curious about the reasons for having children because it seems like something almost everyone wants at some point in their life.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
HW 42 - Pregnancy & birth culminating project
Why do people decide to have children?
The answer to this question may seem simple, especially when thought about in evolutionary terms: People have children in order to pass on their genes. This is the case for most species, and for these species, it is not something they have to make a decision about. However, thanks to birth control, humans have a choice in the matter, and are in fact the only creatures on earth that have this choice.
While most people still choose to have children, there is a growing group of adults who are to put off having kids, or forgoing the idea all together. It seems as though they have decided that there are more reasons not to have kids then to have them. This change seems to have to do with shifts in social norms; it is more acceptable to not have a child now then it was fifty or sixty years ago.
A New York Times article suggests that the growing number of people who choose to have children later in their lives is indicative of a larger cultural shift wherein young adults take longer to grow up, putting off having children, and viewing marriage and parenthood “as lifestyle choices” as opposed to “pre-requisites for adulthood”. The article points to a 2003 U.S. Census study, which found that 19% of U.S. women age 40–44 did not have children (compared with 10% in 1976).
Choosing to have a child later in life is mostly viewed as respectable, since many women choose this in order to get an education, or advance in a job. However, people choosing not to have children at all suggest that there are actually many reasons to make this choice. Many women think having children is a waste of the planet's resources (contributes to overpopulation), or a waste of their time (they think they could do more for humanity on their own then they could by having a child).
Or they’re a waste of money. While most western countries offer new parents paid maternity/paternity leave (up to 50 weeks in Canada) and health care coverage, the United States only offers twelve weeks of unpaid maternity/paternity leave (and that’s if you have worked for a covered employer for at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months, among other restrictions). While other countries also have “baby bonuses” – money given to new parents to help them raise a child – the US offers little support to new parents.
Research suggests that being a parent may not even make someone happy, as people are led to believe. A Newsweek article from 2008 (“Does Having Children Make You Happy?”) suggests that non-parents are actually happier than parents:
The most recent comprehensive study on the emotional state of those with kids shows us that the term "bundle of joy" may not be the most accurate way to describe our offspring. "Parents experience lower levels of emotional well-being, less frequent positive emotions and more frequent negative emotions than their childless peers," says Florida State University's Robin Simon, a sociology professor who's conducted several recent parenting studies, the most thorough of which came out in 2005 and looked at data gathered from 13,000 Americans by the National Survey of Families and Households. "In fact, no group of parents—married, single, step or even empty nest—reported significantly greater emotional well-being than people who never had children. It's such a counterintuitive finding because we have these cultural beliefs that children are the key to happiness and a healthy life, and they're not."
For various reasons, more and more people are choosing not to have kids. Terms often used to describe these individuals are childfree, or childless by choice. There is actually an international social club called No Kidding!, which was created for people who have never had children, no matter what the reason (this means it would include people who weren’t physically able to have children). The intent of No Kidding! is to give adults a place to talk to other adults about things other than raising children, and to take part in activities or events held by the club (concerts, hiking trips, etc).
Even though more and more people are choosing to put off or forgo having kids, many people still do. Why?
Obviously, many people choose to have kids because it is simply what is done when one reaches a certain point in their life. Many people think it will bring them happiness and joy that they might not otherwise have.
However, there might be deeper biological reasons women want to have kids. An article by Corrie Pikul published in Elle about why and when women choose to have children suggests that when women reach a certain age (around their 30s), they have a greater motivation to have kids. The article quotes Warren Miller, a psychiatrist at the Transnational Family Research Institute who has spent 40 years researching why women get pregnant, as having said: “The childbearing urge is an element of the “nurturant bonding system”. It’s an adaptive urge to raise love, and care for a needier being then ourselves – nature’s plan for ensuring that we take care of the children we produce.” This implies that there is another aspect to wanting to have kids – wanting to take care of someone.
Anna Rotkirch, the director of the Population Research Institute at the Family Federation in Finland, has conducted extensive research on these urges. She analyzed the stories of 106 women who wrote to her about their experience with “baby fever” – the compelling urge to have a child, to constantly be thinking about it. One woman described the “painful need to be pregnant” and added “if someone had earlier tried to describe such a feeling to me, I would have rolled my eyes and encouraged her to get a life”, implying that “baby fever” a feeling that is impossible to imagine unless you have it. The source of these urges has not yet been established.
It is also important to remember that many people don’t have extreme urges to have kids, but want them all the same. It might not even be because “it’s the normal thing to do” – they might just want to have a child because they like children.
WORKS CITED:
"Does Having Children Make You Happy?." Newsweek 28 JUN 2008. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.newsweek.com/2008/06/28/having-kids-makes-you-happy.html>.
Pikul, Corrie. "The Clock-Watcher: How do you know when - or if - you should have a baby?." Elle Magazine. Feb. 2011: 164-166. Print.
Courtenay-Smith, Natasha, and Morag Turner. "Meet the Women Who Won't Have Babies - Because they're not eco friendly." dailymail.co.uk 21 NOV 2007. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-495495/Meet-women-wont-babies--theyre-eco-friendly.html>.
http://www.nokidding.net/about.html
United States. Family and Medical Leave Act. , 1993. Web. 4 Apr 2011. <http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/index.htm>.
Cohen, Patricia. "Long Road to Adulthood Is Growing Even Longer." New York Times, 12 JUN 2010. Web. 3 Apr 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/us/13generations.html?_r=3>.
Canada. Employment Insurance (EI) and maternity, parental and sickness benefits. , Web. 3 Apr 2011. <http://142.236.154.112/eng/ei/types/special.shtml#How>.
Friday, April 1, 2011
HW 41 - Independent Research
A
Belkin, Lisa. "Why Does Anyone Have Children?." Motherlode: Adventures In Parenting. New York Times, 07 JAN 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/why-does-anyone-have-children-2/>.
Someone wrote in to the author of the blog, asking why people decide to have children. The author of the blog then tells her story of why, and invites others to do the same in the comments section. This source is more of a personal story type of writing, but it is still valid, and provides some valuable data. This source would be helpful if I wanted to quote someone saying why they had kids.
Pikul, Corrie. "The Clock-Watcher: How do you know when - or if - you should have a baby?." Elle Magazine. Feb. 2011: 164-166. Print.
Author discusses her own ambivalence about whether or not to have a child, and wonders if she will stay indecisive, or if her body will give her some signal. Cites evidence from various studies that try to find physical/psychological "signs" that women are ready to have a baby. Touches on emotional aspects surrounding peoples decisions ("For any given woman, the desire to have a child can be a heartfelt longing, a fantasy, an excuse, or something to be denied - or all of the above, at different times"). Seems like a very good source of information, although it is sort of vague (she basically says that there are a lot of different factors that make people decide, and that it's different for everyone - well, obviously).
Bailey, Ronald. "Why Are People Having Fewer Kids?." Reason.com, 26 FEB 2008. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://reason.com/archives/2008/02/26/why-are-people-having-fewer-ki>.
Discusses a film about the worldwide decline in births, and the various factors contributing to this decline. Lots of statistical data about birthrates in different countries, which would be useful for a discussion of why women in different countries decide to have children. However, this may be a biased source, seeing as the author mentions that him and his wife do not have children.
"Evolutionary Biology Explains Why Poor People Have Lots of Kids at a Young Age." Neatoblogs. Neatorama, 24 JUL 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.neatorama.com/2010/07/24/evolutionary-biology-explains-why-poor-people-have-lots-of-kids-at-a-young-age/>.
States that people who have had tough experiences growing up have children as a sort of defense mechanism, since these people have a greater risk of something happening to them, and therefore feel the need to have children. Article is too short to be very useful, but further research could be done as to whether this statement carries any weight.
Jayson, Sharon. "Most parents have kids for 'joy'; to many it 'just happened'." USA Today, 06 MAY 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-05-06-whykids06_ST_N.htm>.
Discusses a poll taken by the Pew research center, and the various responses to the questions people were asked. Statistical data seems valid, and could be very useful.
"Does Having Children Make You Happy?." Newsweek 28 JUN 2008. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.newsweek.com/2008/06/28/having-kids-makes-you-happy.html>.
Discusses how in America, parenthood is portrayed as making people nothing but happy, when the fact is that this isn't always true. Author asserts that people are disillusioned, and like to believe that they are happy, even when they aren't. May be a slightly biased source, seeing as the author has a child, but it adds to the conversation, since it brings up how parenthood is portrayed, as opposed to how it actually is.
Senior, Jennifer. "All Joy and no Fun: Why Parents Hate Parenting." New York Magazine 04 JUL 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://nymag.com/news/features/67024/>.
In-depth discussion about why people decide to have children, and whether this make them happy. Longer and more detailed then any other article about the subject. A good source, since it discusses different points of view, backed up by actual data (not just personal experience).
Courtenay-Smith, Natasha, and Morag Turner. "Meet the Women Who Won't Have Babies - Because they're not eco friendly." dailymail.co.uk 21 NOV 2007. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-495495/Meet-women-wont-babies--theyre-eco-friendly.html>.
A woman talks about not wanting to have a child, and how it was hard for her to find a doctor that would let her get sterilized when she was younger, as they thought she would regret the decision. This also ties into the aspect of doctors having control over patients. While this is an interesting viewpoint, it might not be the best source of information, as most of the article is the woman discussing her reasons for not having kids, as opposed to universal ones.
Belkin, Lisa. "Does Having Children Make You Unhappy?." Motherlode: Adventures In Parenting. New York Times, 01 APR 2009. Web. 1 Apr 2011. <http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/why-does-anyone-have-children/>.
Author discusses a study that found that people who have children report being significantly less happy than people who don't, even after their children aren't living with them anymore. Author quotes a psychologist talking about the reasons people have children. This is a valid source, but the sample size of the study, among other things, would have to be investigated.
B
I would like to use this research to write an essay discussing the different reasons people decide to have children. This topic is interesting to me, because it is interesting to question why people do things that seem commonplace - is it because they want to, or because they know it is expected of them? This would enable me to learn more about different people's perspectives, as well as the biological/ psychological reasons behind them.
My essay will focus on the following questions - Why do people decide to have kids - Is it simply because having children is what is considered normal, or is there a broader biological reason? What factors do people take into account when making this decision? (For instance, in countries where parents receive money from the government to support their child, are people more likely to have children because they feel they can afford it?)
Belkin, Lisa. "Why Does Anyone Have Children?." Motherlode: Adventures In Parenting. New York Times, 07 JAN 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/why-does-anyone-have-children-2/>.
Someone wrote in to the author of the blog, asking why people decide to have children. The author of the blog then tells her story of why, and invites others to do the same in the comments section. This source is more of a personal story type of writing, but it is still valid, and provides some valuable data. This source would be helpful if I wanted to quote someone saying why they had kids.
Pikul, Corrie. "The Clock-Watcher: How do you know when - or if - you should have a baby?." Elle Magazine. Feb. 2011: 164-166. Print.
Author discusses her own ambivalence about whether or not to have a child, and wonders if she will stay indecisive, or if her body will give her some signal. Cites evidence from various studies that try to find physical/psychological "signs" that women are ready to have a baby. Touches on emotional aspects surrounding peoples decisions ("For any given woman, the desire to have a child can be a heartfelt longing, a fantasy, an excuse, or something to be denied - or all of the above, at different times"). Seems like a very good source of information, although it is sort of vague (she basically says that there are a lot of different factors that make people decide, and that it's different for everyone - well, obviously).
Bailey, Ronald. "Why Are People Having Fewer Kids?." Reason.com, 26 FEB 2008. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://reason.com/archives/2008/02/26/why-are-people-having-fewer-ki>.
Discusses a film about the worldwide decline in births, and the various factors contributing to this decline. Lots of statistical data about birthrates in different countries, which would be useful for a discussion of why women in different countries decide to have children. However, this may be a biased source, seeing as the author mentions that him and his wife do not have children.
"Evolutionary Biology Explains Why Poor People Have Lots of Kids at a Young Age." Neatoblogs. Neatorama, 24 JUL 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.neatorama.com/2010/07/24/evolutionary-biology-explains-why-poor-people-have-lots-of-kids-at-a-young-age/>.
States that people who have had tough experiences growing up have children as a sort of defense mechanism, since these people have a greater risk of something happening to them, and therefore feel the need to have children. Article is too short to be very useful, but further research could be done as to whether this statement carries any weight.
Jayson, Sharon. "Most parents have kids for 'joy'; to many it 'just happened'." USA Today, 06 MAY 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-05-06-whykids06_ST_N.htm>.
Discusses a poll taken by the Pew research center, and the various responses to the questions people were asked. Statistical data seems valid, and could be very useful.
"Does Having Children Make You Happy?." Newsweek 28 JUN 2008. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.newsweek.com/2008/06/28/having-kids-makes-you-happy.html>.
Discusses how in America, parenthood is portrayed as making people nothing but happy, when the fact is that this isn't always true. Author asserts that people are disillusioned, and like to believe that they are happy, even when they aren't. May be a slightly biased source, seeing as the author has a child, but it adds to the conversation, since it brings up how parenthood is portrayed, as opposed to how it actually is.
Senior, Jennifer. "All Joy and no Fun: Why Parents Hate Parenting." New York Magazine 04 JUL 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://nymag.com/news/features/67024/>.
In-depth discussion about why people decide to have children, and whether this make them happy. Longer and more detailed then any other article about the subject. A good source, since it discusses different points of view, backed up by actual data (not just personal experience).
Courtenay-Smith, Natasha, and Morag Turner. "Meet the Women Who Won't Have Babies - Because they're not eco friendly." dailymail.co.uk 21 NOV 2007. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-495495/Meet-women-wont-babies--theyre-eco-friendly.html>.
A woman talks about not wanting to have a child, and how it was hard for her to find a doctor that would let her get sterilized when she was younger, as they thought she would regret the decision. This also ties into the aspect of doctors having control over patients. While this is an interesting viewpoint, it might not be the best source of information, as most of the article is the woman discussing her reasons for not having kids, as opposed to universal ones.
Belkin, Lisa. "Does Having Children Make You Unhappy?." Motherlode: Adventures In Parenting. New York Times, 01 APR 2009. Web. 1 Apr 2011. <http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/why-does-anyone-have-children/>.
Author discusses a study that found that people who have children report being significantly less happy than people who don't, even after their children aren't living with them anymore. Author quotes a psychologist talking about the reasons people have children. This is a valid source, but the sample size of the study, among other things, would have to be investigated.
B
I would like to use this research to write an essay discussing the different reasons people decide to have children. This topic is interesting to me, because it is interesting to question why people do things that seem commonplace - is it because they want to, or because they know it is expected of them? This would enable me to learn more about different people's perspectives, as well as the biological/ psychological reasons behind them.
My essay will focus on the following questions - Why do people decide to have kids - Is it simply because having children is what is considered normal, or is there a broader biological reason? What factors do people take into account when making this decision? (For instance, in countries where parents receive money from the government to support their child, are people more likely to have children because they feel they can afford it?)
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