For the first time in decades, the fertility rate of women in the UK aged over 40 has surpassed that of women aged under 20.
Researchers found that the fertility rate of women over 40 living in the UK has more than tripled since 1981.
The report, spotted on the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obesterics, concluded:
“This may be due to a number of factors such as increased female participation in higher education and the labour force, the increasing importance of a career, the rising costs of childbearing, labour market uncertainty and housing factors.
“Rising fertility rates at older ages have affected the average age of mothers, which has been increasing since 1975, reaching 30.3 years in 2015”.
The statistics, collated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), showed that for women over 40, fertility rates increased by 3.4% in 2015 while for those under 20, the rate declined by 7.1%.
Statistician for the ONS, Elizabeth McLaren, spoke to The Guardian about the findings:
“The trend for women to have babies at older ages continued in 2015.
“Over the last 40 years, the percentage of live births to women aged 35 and over has increased considerably.
“Women aged 40 and over now have a higher fertility rate than women aged under 20. This was last recorded in the 1940s”.
