Childbearing after age 30
| dc.contributor.author | MacNeill, Lindy Marie | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Wu, Zheng | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-03-06T00:31:54Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-03-06T00:31:54Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2000 | |
| dc.degree.department | Department of Sociology | |
| dc.description.abstract | Throughout much of the developed world, increasing numbers of women are delaying their entry into motherhood. While Canada has experienced an overall decline in its fertility rate, the rate for women between the ages of 30 and 39 has actually increased over the past thirty years or so. Further, of all first-births in Canada in 1997, 31 % were to mothers over the age of 30, up from 7% in 1971. By examining women who were childless at age 30, I assess the pattern and determinants of delayed childbearing among women aged 30 and older, and test a number of hypotheses based upon three exploratory perspectives that may explain this phenomenon. While I focus on the effects of education and employment, I also include a number of other independent variables that impact delayed childbearing, including marital status, cohort and the presence of step-/adopted children in the family before and after age 30. The results suggest that both school enrolment and employment tend to reduce the odds of a woman becoming a mother after age 30, while level of education increases the likelihood. A significant interaction effect exists between education and employment, which may indicate that that how a woman utilizes her education determines how employment affects her chances of becoming a mother. I also briefly discuss the implications of this study for future research, policy makers and employers, women considering delaying motherhood and their children. | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Graduate | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/23426 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | |
| dc.title | Childbearing after age 30 | |
| dc.type | Thesis |