Average age at childbirth now more than 30 years of age

The average age of mothers at childbirth in 2010 was over age 30, specifically, 30.1 years. By 2011, it had edged up to 30.2 years, the oldest age on record. It is notable that the average age of mothers was also around age 30 in the 1920s and 1930s, although the reasons behind the patterns are much different.
Earlier in the 20th Century, contraception was less effective and most childbearing occurred within marriage, which, in turn, took place at relatively older ages. Consequently, childbearing would have continued throughout a woman’s reproductive years for the duration of her married life. In contrast, reasons which may account for the later age of childbirth today—which began rising in the mid-1970s—include women’s pursuit of higher levels of education, greater labour force participation and delayed union formation, as well as improved birth control methods.
In 1945, the average age at first birth was 25.2 years, corresponding with an older age at marriage. In the mid-1960s, the average age of first birth had decreased to 23.5 years, but subsequently began shifting to older ages and this has continued for nearly 50 years. For first-time mothers in 2011, the average age at birth was 28.5 years.

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