Affiliation:
1. The Australian National University, Australia
Abstract
Childbearing delay is a pervasive feature of Australian society, but little research has been conducted to examine how socio-economic factors are linked to childbearing timing among Australian men and women. This paper addresses this by analysing the timing of first childbirth for a large sample of Australian residents (N = 4,444). The findings indicate that childbearing delay is socially patterned and that life course experiences shape the risk of delaying childbearing across genders. Having a tertiary qualification delays the transition to parenthood, especially for women. An uninterrupted career prolongs time to parenthood for women but accelerates it for men. Low occupational prestige, being married and having been in only one co-residential union are associated with earlier parenthood for both men and women. For each increase in education level, not being married is associated with increasing levels of childlessness. Clear-cut gender differences are found in the relationship between childlessness and childbearing delay.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Life-course experiences shape the risk of delaying childbearing.</li><br /><li>Tertiary-educated women are more than twice as likely to delay childbearing compared to their male counterparts.</li><br /><li>Marriage is a salient predictor for early entry into parenthood, despite of educational attainment.</li><br /><li>Clear-cut gender differences exist in the relationship between childlessness and childbearing delay.</li></ul>
Subject
Life-span and Life-course Studies
Cited by
10 articles.
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