Half of women childless at 30 never had children

With young adults dating less and postponing marriage, many are hoping to get hitched and have babies down the road. But if historical data can teach us anything, many will be disappointed. It’s true that, historically, more than 4-in-5 women became mothers. But delayed motherhood may change this story. Retrospective data from women ages 46 to 50 in the National Survey of Family Growth show that just half of all women who were childless at the age of 30 went on to have children. First-time childbirth falls drastically through early 30s. Just a quarter of those who were childless at 35 went on to become mothers. And despite the low odds of later-in-life motherhood, a massive three-in-five 35-year-old women today say they hope to have children one day.

by Grant Bailey