Last year, 14 percent of births were to mums younger than 25. In 1995, which is just one generation ago, it was double that: 28 percent of births were to mums under 25.
And in 1960, two generations ago, it was 46 percent - nearly half of all births. Today, there are now more babies born to mums over 40 than to mums under 25.
And I’m one of those mums - I was counted in last year’s data. Last January, at 40, I had a baby.
Now, if I could do my life again, I reckon it probably would have been better to have my kids about a decade earlier. Your knees at 40 are not what they were at 30. Kids want you to run, you don’t really want to run anymore. You’re just tired.
But at 40, you also understand the value of time. If I had my kids at 40, and they have their kids at 40, I’ll become a grandmother around 80. Which means I won’t have that long left with them. I probably won’t see my grandkids get married or have their own children - something that must be one of life’s great joys.
Leaving it late means missing out on experiences that previous generations took for granted.
But there are upsides too. You are simply a better person at 40 than you are at 30. You’re more in control of your emotions - a huge part of parenting - and that makes you a better parent.
More importantly, and I reckon this is why so many mums are leaving it later - you’re more financially secure. By your late 30s, you’ve probably bought a house, paid off a decent chunk, and established your career. Your partner’s income is helpful, sure, but you’re not dependent on it in the same way your grandmother was on her husband.
And that’s why I don’t think the age of mums is ever going back down. Women are more financially independent than they were two generations ago. They have choices - and the choice they’re making is right there in the data, they’re choosing to have kids later.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show. This article was sourced from Newstalk ZB.
10 comments:
What makes Heather think she will make it to 80 to be a grandma? And financial independence only gets you so far in life. Finances can drastically change at any point in time so banking on having babies when the bank account looks good is a recipe for disappointment. Heather may think she’s hit on a winning formula with her one child policy at 40, but population growth is seriously declining in the West because of this thinking. If she does get to 80, she might find herself alone with no biological grandchildren around to help and support her.
Feminism.
Most children are born to couples, not women in isolation. We need to look at this issue from the perspective of a stable couple.
THEY make choices about whether and when to have a family. These choices are based on a number of considerations mainly of an economic nature, such as the cost of accommodation and the debt burden they carry.
The statement "Your partner’s income is helpful, sure, but you’re not dependent on it in the same way your grandmother was on her husband" is rather misleading. The modern couple need 2 steady incomes for many years just to put a roof over their heads. It is not a matter of A being dependent on B but on both A and B being dependent on the joint income.
Writing blokes out of the equation may be ideologically fashionable but it is naive and detracts from rather than enhancing understanding of the socioeconomic dynamics involved.
As a parent at an older age agree with above. Many observe that they get far more enjoyment from grandchildren than from their own because were just too busy. But if very old enjoyment as a grandparent is limited. The rational opt for very early parenthood and a flash modern state unit. Then with a constant stream of further offspring the tedium of paid work can be avoided and with own and grandchildren the opportunity for extensive social contact is considerable and ongoing for ever. Late motherhood is accompanied by much increased fertility and other problems. There is something wrong when we rely on often misfit immigants and on the least industrious locals for population maintenace and growth.
The author of this piece really does live in their own little happy dream world and bubble, far removed from the great unwashed masses.
I don't believe many people "by their late 30s" have -
"Probably bought a house and paid off a decent chunk"
- "established a career"
Or consider
- "there partner’s income is helpful, but they are not dependent upon it".
I don't suppose it matters though.
Especially when you're having these thoughts as your feeding out cotton candy to your own pet unicorn.
A textbook example why the Western world is in decline.
Western society is undergoing demographic genocide, not from global warming or de-glaciation, but from marxist feminism
Not achieving 2.1 replication is an existential threat
Baby factories will be next.
Heather should retire. Writing rubbish like, "You're simply a better person at 40 than you are at 30. You’re more in control of your emotions - a huge part of parenting - and that makes you a better parent". Has she just discovered these demographic trends about declining birth rates and having children older? They have been discussed for decades now in about 20 billion articles across the planet. This is NZ junk journalism at its worst. Why not write on inflation and deficits and economics now Heather and Mike, other topics of which you both also know nothing. You do it keep your name in the media, so you can keep making money, not because you add anything.
What bullsh#t. Have your children young and grow with them enjoying the happiness and love you bring to each other. Phuk careers.
Spot on anon @ 2:21
We had our first at 21, now enjoy 3 greats. We can still keep up with them (just).
Regular interaction with them and their parents affects ones thinking about how an older person should be seen by his or her peers.
Enjoy every minute, it can be all over in a heartbeat.
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