Thus, some women have decided to make sure that their career paths are firmly established before they have children.
Third, Papalia and Olds (1995) report that women are now marrying later in life than they did a generation ago. In this regard, the authors also report that the decision to marry later can lead to delayed childbirth not only because of the age factor but also because infertility increases with age. Thus, some couples who marry in their 30s or 40s may have to either wait longer until they are able to conceive or undergo a period of treatment for infertility before they are able to conceive a child. In this regard, it can be noted that age-related declines in fertility may be due, in part, to less frequent ovulation, or to problems such as endometriosis, in which tissue similar to that lining the uterus attaches to the ovaries or fallopian tubes and interferes with conception.
Fourth, another reason that the age at which mothers have their first child has risen has to do with the improvement of contraception methods. This improvement has helped women to successfully put off childbearing until they feel more ready for it.
Berkowitz, Shovron, Lapinski & Berkowitz (1990) report that there are certain advantages that are associated with delayed childbirth. Older moms, for example, tend to be more at ease with their children than younger moms.
Also, older moms tend to spend more time parenting and to get more satisfaction from it than do younger moms. Furthermore, older moms are more affectionate with their babies and more sensitive to their needs than are younger moms as well as more encouraging of desired behavior (Berkowitz, Shovron, Lapinski & Berkowitz, 1990).
In addition to the benefits associated with the superior parent-child interactions for older mothers, Papalia and Olds (1995) report that couples who delay having their first child until the mother is 35 years of age or older tend to be relative...