Women are waiting about three years longer to marry and to start their families than they did 20 years ago. The average age of mothers at the births of their first and second babies has increased along with the average age of women at their first marriages. On average, the first child comes along soon after marriage, followed, two and a half years later, by the second child.
The implications of postponing children are many -- decreased fertility rates, smaller family sizes, and an increase in "only child" families. These trends, in turn, are affecting every aspect of family life. Having children later means that parents may be better established in their careers, but it also may mean that they have less time and energy for their children. Having fewer siblings means that children need to look elsewhere for playmates when they are young, and for family ties as they age. As children of such families age, other implications emerge. Parents may become elderly and in need of support themselves before their children become financially secure adults. "Such parents may be faced with reduced resources and heightened needs before their children can help them and when they still have need for parental assistance."
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This article first appeared in Profiling Canada's Families, published by the Vanier Institute of the Family, 1994. |
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Posted by the Vanier Institute of the Family, October 8/96. |
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