Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: What do the birth statistics say about our society?

You want some fascinating data about how we’ve changed in the past 60 years? Have a look at the birth statistics out today - especially the age at which mums are having babies.

Last year, 14 percent of births were to mums younger than 25. In 1995, which is just one generation ago, it was double that: 28 percent of births were to mums under 25.

And in 1960, two generations ago, it was 46 percent - nearly half of all births. Today, there are now more babies born to mums over 40 than to mums under 20.

And I’m one of those mums - I was counted in last year’s data. Last January, at 40, I had a baby.

Now, if I could do my life again, I reckon it probably would have been better to have my kids about a decade earlier. Your knees at 40 are not what they were at 30. Kids want you to run, you don’t really want to run anymore. You’re just tired.

But at 40, you also understand the value of time. If I had my kids at 40, and they have their kids at 40, I’ll become a grandmother around 80. Which means I won’t have that long left with them. I probably won’t see my grandkids get married or have their own children - something that must be one of life’s great joys.

Leaving it late means missing out on experiences that previous generations took for granted.

But there are upsides too. You are simply a better person at 40 than you are at 30. You’re more in control of your emotions - a huge part of parenting - and that makes you a better parent.

More importantly, and I reckon this is why so many mums are leaving it later - you’re more financially secure. By your late 30s, you’ve probably bought a house, paid off a decent chunk, and established your career. Your partner’s income is helpful, sure, but you’re not dependent on it in the same way your grandmother was on her husband.

And that’s why I don’t think the age of mums is ever going back down. Women are more financially independent than they were two generations ago. They have choices - and the choice they’re making is right there in the data,
They’re choosing to have kids later.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You want some fascinating data about how we've changed in
the last sixty years, look at the birth data from
Stats today, and especially the age at which mums are
having babies. So last year, fourteen percent of births were
to mums younger than twenty five, fourteen percent. In nineteen
ninety five, which is one generation ago, it was double that.
It was twenty eight percent of births to mums under

(00:20):
twenty five, And in nineteen sixty, which is two generations ago,
it was forty six percent of births, nearly half of
the births to mums under twenty five. There are now
more babies born to mums older than forty than there
are to mums younger than twenty five, and I'm one
of those mums. I was counted in late last year's data.
Last January, I was forty. I had a baby. Now,

(00:41):
in retrospect, I reckon, if I could do my life again,
it would probably have been better to have my kids
about a decade younger. Your knees at forty are not
what your knees were at thirty. You don't want to
run around after them. They want you to run, but
you don't really want to run anymore. You feel more
tired at forty, though you also realize the value of time.
If I have my kids at forty and they have
their kids at forty, I'm going to start being a

(01:03):
grandmother around the age of eighty, which means I'm not
going to have that long left right, I'm not going
to be able to see my grandkids get married and
have their kids, which is one of the joys of life.
I would imagine leaving it late means you miss out
on a whole bunch of stuff that previous generations had.
But then, on the other hand, there are upsides to
leaving it a bit later. You're a better person at
forty than you are at thirty. You're more in control
of your emotions, which is a really big thing to

(01:25):
teach your kids. You become a better parent, I feel
like more importantly, and I reckon this is why so
many mums are leaving it later. You're more financially secure
by your late thirties. You got yourself a house, You've
paid off a decent chunk of it, You have an
established career. Your partner's income is helpful. It helps to
pay the bills, but you're not dependent on it. In
the same way that your grandmother was on her husband's

(01:47):
And I think that's the reason that the age of
mums will not ever go back down again, because mums
are more financially independent than they were two generations ago,
which means that they have choices, and the choice that
they are making is the one you're seeing in the data.
The choice is to leave the kids a lot later nowadays.
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(02:09):
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