Introduction
Giving birth to a child is one of the most important decisions in the lives of the majority of individuals. At the same time, the mean maternal age at birth has increased steadily in the past several decades. Nowadays, a vast number of people tend to postpone the period of becoming parents due to the advances in fertility technology, as well as the intention to build a career and fully focus on parenting.
Advances in Fertility Technology
Numerous women used to give birth to children in early adulthood because of the fear to face maternal and fetal complications in advanced age. Partly, this belief could be considered reasonable, as the healthcare industry did not have the opportunity to create appropriate conditions for giving birth after 40. In turn, when it comes to modern reproduction technologies, they are represented by in vitro fertilization, egg freezing, frozen embryos, donor eggs, and surrogates (Rendtorff et al., 2017). As a result, a vast number of women with severe health issues, such as hypertension or diabetes, can give birth to a child without any complications. In spite of the fact that donor eggs and surrogate can be regarded as an expensive way to give birth in middle adulthood, it is still a tremendously popular method to achieve this goal.
Building a Career
In order to have more financial power, numerous individuals prefer to build a career before giving birth to children. It can be explained by the desire to avoid the stress which is related to income and job security in the future. Additionally, it is estimated that the high financial status of a family is associated with the better educational development of a child. For instance, there is evidence-based information in support of the idea that children born by women in advanced age are more likely to go to college than their peers who were born to younger mothers (Myrskylä et al., 2017). Moreover, children with a stable social and financial status of the family are expected to be healthier from physiological and psychological perspectives.
Better Focus on Parenting
Taking into consideration that women in advanced age frequently achieved personal and professional goals, they are likely to transform their life experience into positive and mature parenting. First, women in the middle adulthood are ready to engage in important children’s activities, such as reading, constructive play, and emotional support (Ashford et al., 2017). Consequently, kids born in these families do not struggle with the problems related to the lack of attention from parents. Second, women of advanced age are more likely to have stable relationships with a partner. Thus, children born by women in middle adulthood have a higher likelihood of growing up in a family with both parents. In turn, living in a positive family environment is predicted to result in the lack of bad habits which have a vast spread among kids and adolescents. Usually, these habits include smoking, drinking alcohol, and using substances. Therefore, a better focus on parenting is an important cause which encourages people to give birth in middle adulthood.
In conclusion, it is essential to note that there is no single correct answer regarding the question related to the period of giving birth. However, the birth-rate of females aged over 40 years has considerably increased lately in the entire world. Most frequently, it can be explained by the desire of women to raise children in high-quality conditions and give them the appropriate emotional support.
References
Ashford, J. B., LeCroy, C. W., & Williams, L.R. (2017). Human behavior in the social environment: A multidimensional perspective (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Myrskylä, M., Barclay, K., & Goisis, A. (2017). Advantages of later motherhood. Der Gynäkologe, 50(10), 767-772. Web.
Rendtorff, R., Hinkson, L., Kiver, V., Dröge, L., & Henrich, W. (2017). Pregnancies in women aged 45 years and older – A 10-year retrospective analysis in Berlin. Geburtshilfe Und Frauenheilkunde, 77(3), 268-275. Web.