The rise of the older mother

People and Place

Volumn 14, Issue 3, 2006, Pages 1-11

  Kippen, Rebecca ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

AGING POPULATION; BIRTH RATE; CHILDBEARING; DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION; FECUNDITY; FERTILITY;

AUSTRALASIA; AUSTRALIA;

EID: 33845782946     PISSN: 10394788     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (73)

1. This paper deals primarily with women, although the author recognises that men arc essential to the process of reproduction. Unfortunately, there is very little information on men's fertility in Australia. See E. Gray, 'What do we know about men's fertility levels in Australia?', People and Place, vol. 10, no. 4, 2002, pp. 1-10;
2. P. Corr and R. Kippen, 'The case for parity and birth-order statistics', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Statistics, vol. 48, no. 2,2006, pp. 171-200. For example, the Australian census asks women, but not men, their number of children. This is the only census question that is asked of one sex only.
3. These measures are independent of population age structure. Author's calculations from Births Australia, Catalogue no. 3301.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Canberra, 1974 and 2004;
4. Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, Time Series Workbook, Catalogue no. 3201.0, ABS, Canberra, 2005
5. Author's calculations from Women by Age by Children Ever Born, special tabulation of the 1996 Australian Census of Population and Housing, ABS, 1999;
6. Births Australia, Catalogue no. 3301.0, ABS, Canberra, various years;
7. Annual Births by Age of Mother by Previous Issue, 1991-2000, unpublished data from the Perinatal Data Collection, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Sydney, 2001 and 2003
8. Women by Age by Children Ever Born, special tabulation of the 1981 Australian Census of Population and Housing, ABS, 2005
9. R. Weston, L. Qu, R. Parker and M. Alexander, It's Not for the Lack of Wanting Kids: A Report on the Fertility Decision Making Project, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne, 2004
10. R. Kippen, 'Trends in age- and parity-specific fertility in Australia', Working Paper in Demography, No. 91, The Australian National University, Canberra, 2003
11. R. Kippen, 'Trends in age- and parity-specific fertility in Australia', Working Paper in Demography, No. 91, The Australian National University, Canberra, 2003.
12. P. McDonald, 'Australia's population futures', in Migration: Benefiting Australia, Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Canberra, 2002, pp. 21-50
13. Australian Social Trends, Catalogue no. 4102.0, ABS, Canberra, 2001
14. L. Cannold, What, No Baby? Why Women are Losing the Freedom to Mother, and How They Can Get It Back, Curtin University Books, Fremantle, 2005
15. M. Carolan, 'The graying of the obstetric population: implications for the older mother', Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, vol. 32, 2003, pp. 19-27
16. K.S. Joseph, 'The perinatal effects of delayed childbearing', Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 105, no. 6, 2005, pp. 1410-1418
17. H-P. Kohler, F.C. Billari and J.A. Ortega, 'The emergence of lowest-low fertility in Europe during the 1990s', Population and Development Review, vol. 28, no. 4, 2002, pp. 641-680
18. Author's calculations based on age-parity-specific fertility rates derived from Women by Age, by Age of Each Own Child in the Household, special tabulations of the 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001 Australian Censuses of Population and Housing, ABS, 2006;
19. Women by Age by Children Ever Born, special tabulations of the 1981, 1986 and 1996 Australian Censuses of Population and Housing, ABS, Canberra, 1999 and 2005;
20. Single-year-of-age Fertility Rates, Australia, 1921-1997, unpublished birth registration data, ABS, Canberra, 1999;
21. Births Australia, Catalogue no. 3301.0, ABS, Canberra, various years;
22. Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, Time Series Workbook, Catalogue no. 3201.0, ABS, Canberra, 2005;
23. Annual Births by Age of Mother by Previous Issue, 1991-2000, unpublished data from the Perinatal Data Collection, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Sydney, 2001 and 2003
24. This concern emanates from demographers, government and social commentators. See, for example, P. McDonald, 'Low fertility in Australia: evidence, causes and policy responses', People and Place, vol. 8, no. 2, 2000, pp. 6-21;
25. P. Costello, Launch of the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, National Press Club, Canberra, 24 July 2006 〈www.treasurer.gov.au/tsr/ content/speeches/2006/014.asp〉 accessed September 2006;
26. M. Steyn, 'It's breeding obvious, mate', The Australian, 18 August 2006, p. 14.
27. R. Kippen and P. McDonald, 'Can increased immigration be a substitute for low fertility?', People and Place, vol. 12, no. 3, 2004, pp. 18-27
28. At the time of writing, total births but not births by age were available for 2005, hence age-specific fertility rates could not be calculated. Indirect standardisation was used to give an estimate of the 2005 TFR.
29. The level of the cohort fertility rate in Figure 3 is slightly different from that in Figure 2. The reason for this is the different sources of data for each figure which each give slightly different results.
30. For example, the 1891 birth cohort had a CFR of 2.6 births per woman, made up of 0.81 first births, 0.65 second births, 0.46 third births and 0.68 fourth and higher-order births. This means that 81 per cent of this cohort had a first birth (that is, at least one birth), 65 per cent had a second birth (that is, at least two births) and 46 per cent had a third birth (that is, at least three births). A determination cannot be made from the chart about the proportion who had fourth and higher-order births because these figures arc aggregated.
31. For the earlier cohorts, these childlessness estimates are substantially less than those of up to 31 per cent in R. Merlo and D. Rowland, 'The prevalence of childlessness in Australia', People and Place, vol. 8, no. 2, 2000, pp. 21-32,
32. but are similar to estimates made in P. McDonald, 'The baby boom generation as reproducers: fertility in Australia in the late 1970s and the 1980s', in Family Formation, Structure, Values, Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne, 1984. Merlo and Rowland's estimates may be high because of biases in the data source used, the 1961 Australian census. This census instructed: 'State the number of children (both living and dead) from existing marriage (not including children from any previous marriage)'. The mandate to only include children from current marriages may have inflated childlessness estimates for married women, since women in second and subsequent marriages may not have had children in those marriages, but are likely to have had children earlier in their lives.
33. The projected rates arc based on continuing trends observed over the period 1991-2000. See R Kippen, 'Declines in first- and second-birth rates and their effect on levels of fertility", People and Place, vol. 12, no. 1, 2004, pp. 28-37;
34. R Kippen, 'Trends in age- and parity-specific fertility in Australia', Working Papers in Demography, no. 91, Demography and Sociology Program, The Australian National University, Canberra, 2003
35. For a cross-country analysis of fertility trends, postponement and recuperation, see R. Lesthaeghe and G. Moors, 'Recent trends in fertility and household formation in the industrialized world', Review of Population and Social Policy, vol. 9, 2000, pp. 121-170
36. P. McDonald, 'Contemporary fertility patterns in Australia: first data from the 1996 census', People and Place, vol. 6, no. 1, 1998, pp. 1-12
37. R. Merlo and D. Rowland, 'The prevalence of childlessness in Australia', People and Place, vol. 8, no. 2, 2000, pp. 21-32
38. Births Australia 1998, Catalogue no. 3301.0, ABS, Canberra, 1999
39. Sec, for example, D. Gray, 'National birth rate plunging', The Age, 17 November 1999, p. 1 ;
40. '28% of women to be childless', The Mercury, 17 November 1999, p. 28;
41. M. Gunn, 'The big baby bust', The Australian, 20 November 1999, p. 19;
42. R. Gittens, 'Not just a pregnant pause', Sydney Morning Herald, 24 November 1999, p. 21
43. This can be calculated from Table 1. The proportion of women with no children decreases from 46% to 16% between ages 30 and 50, meaning than 30% (46%-16%) of women have a first birth after age 30. The proportion of women with two or more children increases from 33% (21% + 8% + 4%) to 69% (42% + 18% + 9%), meaning that 36% of this cohort have a second birth after age 30.
44. J. Menken, 'Age and fertility: how late can you wait?', Demography, vol. 22, no. 4, 1985, pp. 469-483
45. R.P. Jansen, 'Fertility in older women', IPPF Medical Bulletin, vol. 18, no. 2, 1984, pp. 4-6
46. U. Larsen and J.W. Vaupel, 'Hutterite fecundability by age and parity: strategies for frailty modeling of event histories', Demography, vol. 30, no. 1, 1993, pp. 81-102;
47. Menken, 1985, Demography op.cit.;
48. J. Menken, J. Trussell and U. Larsen, 'Age and infertility', Science, vol. 233, no. 4771, 1986, pp. 1389-1394
49. U. Larsen and J. Menken, 'Measuring sterility from incomplete birth histories', Demography, vol. 26, no. 2, 1989, pp. 185-201
50. J.A. McFalls, 'The risks of reproductive impairment in the later years of childbcaring', Annual Review of Sociology; vol. 16, 1990, pp. 491-519
51. Menken, 1985, Annual Review of Sociology op. cit.
52. H. Leridon, 'Can assisted reproduction technology compensate for the natural decline in fertility with age? A model assessment", Human Reproduction, vol. 19, no. 7, 2004, pp. 1548-1553
53. J.A. McFalls, 'The risks of reproductive impairment in the later years of childbearing', Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 16, 1990, pp. 491-519
54. U. Larsen and J.W. Vaupel, 'Hutterite fecundability by age and parity: strategies for frailty modeling of event histories', Demography, vol. 30, no. 1, 1993, pp. 81-102
55. Menken, 1985, Demography op.cit.;
56. J.A. McFalls, "The risks of reproductive impairment in the later years of childbearing', Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 16, 1990, pp. 491-519
57. A-M. Waters, J.H. Dean and E.A Sullivan, Assisted Reproduction Technology in Australia and New Zealand '2003, Catalogue no. PER 31, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Sydney, 2006;
58. Births Australia 2003, Catalogue no. 3301.0, ABS, Canberra, 2004
59. McFalls, 1990, Births Australia 2003 op. cit.
60. Menken, 1985, Births Australia 2003 op. cit.
61. J. McDonald, A. Rosina, E. Rizza and B. Colombo, 'Age and fertility: can we wait until the early 30s?', Applications and Policy Working Paper A04/22, Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute, 2004;
62. Menken, 1985, Applications and Policy Working Paper op. cit.
63. McFalls, 1990, Applications and Policy Working Paper op. cit.
64. L.J. Heffner, 'Advanced maternal age - how old is too old?', New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 351, 2004, pp.1927-1929
65. 'A miracle baby for mum, 52', Daily Telegraph, 8 July 2006, p. 23;
66. O. Duff, 'Doctor aged 62 becomes Britain's oldest mother', The Independent, 8 July 2006, p. 15;
67. J. Bone, '59-year-old mother has twins to join her toddler', The Times, 4 July 2006, p. 33;
68. S. Goldenberg, 'Woman, 62, gives birth to 12th child'. The Guardian, 23 February 2006, p. 22;
69. F. Barton, 'The proud new mum - aged 66 - disturbing portrait of world's oldest mother', The Sunday Mail, 24 April 2005, p. 37
70. H. Leridon, 'Can assisted reproduction technology compensate for the natural decline in fertility with age? A model assessment', Human Reproduction, vol. 19, no. 7, 2004, pp. 1548-1553
71. E.H. Stephen, 'Demographic implications of reproductive technologies', Population Research and Policy Review, vol. 19, 2000, pp. 301-315;
72. 'Egg freezing set to become more common?', BioNews, vol. 9, January, 2006 〈www.bionews.org.uk/new.lasso?storyid=2877〉 viewed September 2006
73. Cannold, 2005, BioNews op. cit.