Number of Children Per Family

Many factors: for one, in richer people have a greater expectation that their children will live to adulthood.

Some families need more children to help earn a living for the family.

Joe(my dad's family had 11 children born, 9 lived to adulthood)Nation

richer families can also afford forms of birth control.

Since they have a higher income , they also do not NEED to marry/mate young just to survive. They can wait until later in life to start a family because they are able to support themselves BY themselves.

many poor families choose to marry very young because 2 working people can survive where as a single person may not bring enough money home to survive alone.

Higher income families can also afford more luxuries and more activities that keep their lives busy. With time at home shorter, time for sex is less.

I hate to break it to you shelfnm - but you don't need to get married to have children.

And many places in the US - the more children you have, the more government assistance you get.

We're a single child home and I doubt we will be having anymore

I've known three irish catholic families with thirteen or fourteen children, two of them well-to-do, and one that could be described as poor although the father worked full time - plus several others with nine or ten children. Culture or religion can also have an effect on childbearing. Oddly, the way I knew the families was by knowing the oldest child, and of the three families with the highest number of children, the children were all very bright and achieving. So much for some stereotypes.

Many poor societies are still struggling with the basics, such as food, shelter, and family and don't have the time, interest or resources to wish and work for more. They are often ignorant of, or can't afford, birth control. Plus the reasons listed below (more kids = more help bringing in money).