Women delay starting a family until 30

THE majority of women now delay childbirth until they are 30 or above, and smaller families of two or three children are now the norm.

The ESRI study shows that holding off on starting a family has become prevalent in recent years. Using data from 2006, the report indicates half of women who are childless at 29 have a child by 35 years, after which the likelihood of having a first child decreases very rapidly.

Among 45-year-old women in 2006, the proportion having four or more children was less than half of what it was among 59-year olds, while childlessness among 45-year-old women was higher at 17% compared to 13% among 59-year olds.