Women in the European Union are postponing their first birth more and more later, and on average it is only shortly before the age of 30. According to experts, this trend will not change, TASR writes about it according to euronews.com.
- The average age of first-time mothers in the European Union is 29.8 years.
- The trend of delaying the first birth is likely to continue.
- Postponing parenthood is not related to the decision not to have children.
According to official data, women in the European Union become mothers at an average age of 29.8 years, ten years ago it was approximately one year earlier. Within European countries, on average, the youngest mothers (24.7 years) are in Moldova and Italy, with an average age of 31.8 years.
The effect of older age on fertility
However, postponing parenthood does not mean deciding not to have children at all. European countries with older first-time mothers also include those with higher birth rates such as Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Liechtenstein and Norway, EU data show.
“There’s not a lot of evidence … that people don’t want to have children anymore; the ideal family size hasn’t really changed over time. It’s just about timing,” said demographer Ester Lazzari, who specializes in fertility at the University of Vienna.
Causes of late parenthood
European women usually postpone their first birth, for example, to complete their studies, gain financial stability and reduce the chance of finding a stable partner for raising children.
“The trend of postponing childbirth can be observed everywhere in Europe. Therefore, it is very difficult to pinpoint one factor that could explain this trend,” said Lazzari.
According to data from 2023, women in Eastern and Central Europe become mothers on average around the age of 25, while in Western and Southern Europe it is not until the approaching age of 30.
Health consequences of older age
The older age of first-time mothers brings various health consequences, including impaired fertility. Women at an age when they feel ready to have children may not be able to have as many naturally as they would like.
“The preferred reproductive window has shifted later, and there is clearly no biological reason for this,” Lazzari said.
This shift is also related to the increase in infertility treatment in Europe, while according to the World Health Organization (WHO) approximately one in six people worldwide is infertile – regular unprotected intercourse does not end in pregnancy even after a year.
Infertility treatment in numbers
According to 2021 data, more than 1.1 million infertility treatment cycles were performed in almost 1,400 clinics. This is often a financially expensive and emotionally demanding procedure. In some countries, single women or homosexual couples are excluded from it.
