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Delaying Parenthood, for Better and for Worse

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Decline and Prosper!

Abstract

One of the most remarkable trends in contemporary fertility is the postponement of parenthood. Whereas childbearing in the late teens and early twenties was the norm in the mid-twentieth century, today women are often in their late twenties or thirties when they have their first child. The delay in parenthood is reflected in the decrease in adolescent motherhood and a shift in “peak fertility ages” toward the early 30s in many countries. In this chapter, I discuss the delay in parenthood and some of its consequences. Delayed parenthood has a number of benefits, but many people in Western countries may be “waiting too long.” Many people overestimate their capacity to have children at older ages; as a consequence, unintended childlessness has become more common.

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  1. Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

    Vegard Skirbekk

  2. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City, USA

    Vegard Skirbekk

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Skirbekk, V. (2022). Delaying Parenthood, for Better and for Worse. In: Decline and Prosper!. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91611-4_11

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