A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention national survey on family growth revealed that Americans are having fewer and fewer children. It also concluded that, over the past few years, women in the country have been having their first child at an increasingly older age.
The report, which compares 2011-2015 and 2015-2019, found that during the first time frame, 54.9% of women aged 15 to 44 had at least one child. As for the second time frame, it decreased to 52.1%.
When examining at what age which women under 45 have their first child, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the number has grown. It went from an average of 23.1 (2011-2015) to 23.7 (2015 and 2019). For men, the average age rose from 25.5 to 26.4.
Reasons for the change
The study found that the level of education individuals have is a variable that must be taken into account. For example, among women who did not finish high school, 57.5% had their first child before the age of 20. In turn, for women with a bachelor's or higher degree, 42.9% had their first child between the ages of 30 and 49.
Research attributes the changes to increasingly reliable contraceptive methods, an increase of women in the workforce, differences in family values, and other priorities (such as schooling). It also attributes responsibility to financial instability and economic uncertainty.
