Abstract
In this contribution postponement behaviour will mainly be seen on the macro-level.
One of the main indicators used is the mean age of the mother at first birth.
Over the past decades this indicator shows a rising trend (almost?) everywhere in western
societies. Even in developing countries this upward trend is observed. It means that women have their first child later in life and are without children for a longer period of early
adulthood than previous generations were. And it is not only the age of the mother that
shifted, also the age at first fatherhood rose.
First of all we will reflect on the trends in the age at first motherhood. Then follows a
definition and classification of "late fertility" and an overview of the determinants of
postponement behaviour. The article ends with a discussion.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 17-31 |
| Journal | Genus |
| Volume | LXIV |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |