Over the last half a century women and men in high-income have become parents at ever later ages. This talk reviews key drivers of this shift and analyse the dynamics in late reproduction, focusing on fertility plans and actual fertility rates among women past age 40. Childbearing in late reproductive ages has been fuelled especially by rising first and second birth rates. The share of women planning their first or second child in their late 30s or early 40s has increased rapidly as well, signalling that many women aim to become mothers at an age when they are likely to face infertility or pregnancy complications. I highlight the role medically assisted reproduction plays in this trend. In conclusion, I discuss the consequences of the boom in late parenthood and argue that trends in late childbearing will become one of the critical factors determining the future of fertility and reproduction.
Tomas Sobotka leads the research group on Fertility and Population Change and serves as deputy director of the Vienna Institute of Demography (Austrian Academy of Sciences). He is Editor-in-Chief of the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research and co-director of the Human Fertility Database. His research focuses on global low fertility and family changes, family policies, fertility data and measurement, childlessness, migration, population and family change in Europe, and assisted reproduction.
