A 5k 'Baby Bonus' Is Not the Answer
With the annual birth rate in the US near a record low, the Trump administration is looking for a new way to encourage women to have children. The current solution in discussion within the administration is a money incentive. They believe offering women a $5,000 ‘baby bonus’ after delivering will influence more women to give birth.
While offering women this small sum of money to have a child might seem like a generous idea, it cannot solve such a complex decision. The decision to have a child affects every aspect of a woman’s entire life. $5,000 will not pay for the overall long term financial cost of a child nor will it suddenly make a woman emotionally or physically ready to have a child.
Here is a list of other possible solutions:
1. Universal Healthcare
The first solution is universal healthcare. Pregnancies can be complicated, the mother and child’s health can fluctuate during the pregnancy.
Giving Americans access to universal health care would guarantee mothers and their children are able to get help throughout the pregnancy and after to ensure the health and wellness of both parties. It would also help families worry less about how they are going to pay their hospital bills.
2. Abortion Rights
Another solution to add would be access to safe abortions. Giving women unrestricted access to safe abortion procedures would be giving women the ability to choose and decide if they are ready.
Without access to ways to terminate an unwanted or physically damaging pregnancy, women are having decisions about their body being forced upon them which in turn makes them less likely to want to conceive, possibly for fear of potential complications, even if there is a small sum of money being offered to do so.
Everyday there are more and more policies being discussed and coming into place that affect abortion access and rights. It should be noted that this issue is not just about choice, it is also about health.
There can be many unknowns when it comes to whether or not the entire duration of a pregnancy will pass without complications from either the child or the woman’s body. Women should be allowed access to safe abortion procedures to not only have a choice but to be able to protect their own health in cases that present damaging or life threatening complications.
3. Paid Parental Leave
Paid parental leave is also an answer that could encourage women to have children. Giving both parents paid time off after having a child gives them the financial support they need while allowing them time to take care of their new child and become acclimated to their new lifestyle. This helps for a better transition for everyone involved.
The United States is currently the only country apart of OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) that does not offer paid leave for either parent. Most other countries in OECD offer paid leave to both or at least one parent, differing on the amount of time each parent has off.
The United States as a whole has no mandates on paid parental leave though some states have publicly funded paid maternity leave. The United States currently only offers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for those eligible under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
If the United States were to change this and offer paid parental or even just maternal leave, women might be more inclined to have children knowing they won’t have to worry about their income during their time off.
4. Access to Childcare
Access to affordable childcare comes in to help when the period of paid parental leave ends. Parents aren’t all able to stay home every day with their children to care for them, they have to work in order to make money to be able to support their family. When a child is too young to be enrolled in school and a parent has to work, they need access to a childcare program or provider.
If the government steps in to help parents gain access to such programs, it ensures a child won’t be left without care and helps the parents worry about one less thing. This support can help sway the decision a woman has to make about whether or not she wants a child.
One way we can make this happen might be through subsidy programs. State governments can create and expand existing programs to allow individuals with different levels of income to gain access to financial support for childcare.
Another way the government can help make childcare more affordable and accessible is through collaborations between government agencies, childcare providers, and philanthropic organizations. These are called public-private partnerships. These partnerships can create grant programs and be a way for resources to be more widely accessible.
5. Affordable Housing
Last but not least an answer can lie in access to affordable housing. The US is currently going through a housing crisis making living as a single person an expensive thing in itself. The decision to have a child is an even bigger expense that gets added on top of housing.
If a woman cannot afford a place to live for herself (and potentially a partner), how is she supposed to afford a child and a place that is big enough for herself and said child? Access to affordable housing would make her decision to have a child more affordable than it currently is.
All in all, a $5,000 ‘baby bonus’ isn’t the solution. The answers to this problem lie in the ideas that help people in the long run because having a child isn’t a short term decision.
