Women are having fewer children and at an older age than a generation ago, new statistics show.
Women born in the 1960s have had fewer children than a generation ago to women born in the 1930s, new data has revealed. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that women are choosing to have smaller families and later in life. Comparisons were made between women born in 1965 and their mother’s generation who were born in 1938. Greater use of contraception after the development of The Pill and women choosing to put their careers ahead of starting a family are likely to be the reasons, experts said.
It was found that women born in the 1930s had on average 2.39 children compared with just 1.91 children to women born in the 1960s. Strikingly there are more women born in the 1960s who have remained childless, with one in five having had no children compared with one in nine women born in the 1930s. This may be due to better contraception, increased infertility or a combination of both. There were also fewer large families born to women of the 1960s. One in ten women born in 1965 had four or more children compared with one in five women born in 1938. Women born in 1980 have had slightly fewer children on average (1.03) by their 30th birthday than women born in 1965 who had 1.18 children by the same age.
A spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: “This new data indicates that women today are having fewer children compared to their mothers in the 1930s.It was found that women born in the 1930s had on average 2.39 children compared with just 1.91 children to women born in the 1960s.
Strikingly there are more women born in the 1960s who have remained childless, with one in five having had no children compared with one in nine women born in the 1930s. This may be due to better contraception, increased infertility or a combination of both. There were also fewer large families born to women of the 1960s. One in ten women born in 1965 had four or more children compared with one in five women born in 1938. Women born in 1980 have had slightly fewer children on average (1.03) by their 30th birthday than women born in 1965 who had 1.18 children by the same age.
A spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: “This new data indicates that women today are having fewer children compared to their mothers in the 1930s.
Wow, what a research!
How could I obtain a couple of hundred thousand dollars to present such a research:
I am the youngest of nine. I have 5 children. One daughter has two children, one son has one.
Nicely presented, nicely bound. “a new research has shown….”
200’000$ fee…