Recession Pregnancy: You Could Be Next!

Recessions have long been linked to an increase in birthrates, and it seems this time Britain is leading the way. Is the New World next? Quick, everyone check your uteruses! Are they teeming with life? No? Ok phew, we still have time. But Britain is pretty screwed (har), according to recent estimates.

Chemists across the country have reported a rise in sales of pregnancy testing kits, while Mothercare says sales have gone up by more than 20%. And baby chain Mamas And Papas has reported a hefty 46% increase in sales of maternity dresses.

Sex toys are also popular, with online firm sextoys.co.uk reporting a 27% increase in sales.

What about Latinas?

Targeting why Latinas in America might be particularly at risk to get pregnant is complex. We all like sex, yes? Nod your heads. But statistics show that among Mexican-Americans, for one, there is a 23% poverty rate, and from there some make the jump to conclude that poverty will lead to, 1., a lack of education and 2., less incentive to spend on birth-control when more vital necessities might already be lacking. We already saw this combination referenced as a possible factor in high birth rates among Latinas in Ohio, could it be a more widespread pattern?

Birth control, which is already so expensive, will increasingly become more of a luxury than a necessity. And as some have noted, sex is the cheapest form of entertainment (not counting hookers) so a lot of us seem to be turning to it now that we can’t afford the movies.

But is the formula really so cut and dried? Probably not. Family situation and non-economic factors like religion or culture also play a huge part in an individual’s sexual choices, so it’s too simplistic to point to income as the determiner. That being said, we are curious to see what really does happen in the next few months…for our part, we’ll be installing an electric fence in our cervix.

Do you guys use sex to cope with the recession? Would you flake on your birth control in favor of car insurance?

BRITAIN’S GOING LUST [Daily Star]

“Just Got Laid Off, Now Looking to Get Laid”: 5 Types of Recession Sex [Gawker]