THE BUILD UP TO

MOMMYHOOD
Examining the increasing age of first time mothers from
the Silent Generation to the Millenials.
By Heather Rolfe

WHY ARE WOMEN IN THE US WAITING

LONGER THAN EVER BEFORE TO HAVE THEIR
FIRST CHILD?

WOMEN IN THE U.S. WHO CHOOSE TO REPRODUCE KEEP DELAYING MOTHERHOOD.

EACH GENERATION HAS WAITED A LITTLE LONGER FOR MOTHERHOOD THAN THE
LAST. FOUR DECADES AGO, AN AMERICAN WOMAN TYPICALLY DELIVERED HER
FIRST BABY AT AGE 21. BY 2000, SHE WAS 24.9. TODAY, SHE IS 26.3 (PAQUETTE)

Figure 1. The average age of first-time-mothers has increased by 3.3 years since 1980 (Kincaid)

WHY ARE WOMEN WAITING LONGER THAN

EVER BEFORE TO HAVE THEIR FIRST CHILD?
FDA approval of oral contraceptives
Wide variety of birth control options on the market
Sex education in schools
Women's rights movements
Having a child is expensive

ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES
Oral birth control, also known as the pill , was approved the FDA in 1960
By 1965 the pill was the leading method of contraceptive
In 1970 it was estimated that 8 to 10 million women in the US were using an
oral contraceptive
The pill is still widely used by women in the US

Information for this slide was obtained from (Oral Contraceptives--An

Update)

OTHER POPULAR TYPES OF BIRTH

CONTROL THAT ARE USED TODAY

IUD (intrauterine
device)

Vaginal Ring

Birth Control Patch

A small device that is placed into

the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
Lasts up to 12 years

a ring that is inserted into the

vagina, the ring is changed
monthly.

a small patch that can be placed

in various places, the patch is
changed weekly

Information for this slide is from

MANDATORY SEX EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

In the 1920s about forty percent of American public schools taught some
form of sex education
In 1981 the Regan administration introduced that Adolescent-Family-Life-Act.
This act is also known as the chastity law
The program was designed to encourage adolescents to postpone sexual activity
until marriage, emphasizing chastity and self-discipline,
The act also provided support for pregnant or parenting teens and their families

Information for this slide is from (NCAC)

Image from ProQuest Teenage

Pregnancy Timeline

WOMENS RIGHTS
From women legally being allowed to vote in 1920 to Hillary Clinton being the
Democratic nominee for President of the United States; womens rights
continue to be a hot button issue in the US.
While women rights have come a long way since the 1920s. Many believe
that there is a long way to go until women are viewed as equal to men.
A Pew Research study shows that Millennial women--those who are ages 25
to 34 years--are now earning 93 cents for every dollar earned by men in their
age group (ProQuest, Womens Rights Timeline)

HAVING A CHILD IS EXPENSIVE

Fig. 3. To raise a child born in 2013 to the age of 18, it will cost a middle-income
couple just over $245,000, according to newly released estimates from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. That's up $4,260, or almost 2%, from the year before
(Hicken)

WORKS CITED
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money.cnn.com/2014/08/18/pf/child-cost/index.html.
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http://www.businessinsider.com/why-delaying-parenthood-and-having-kids-later-is-a-big-deal-2015-6. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
NCAC. "Timeline of Abstinence-Only Education in U.S. Classrooms." National Coalition Against Censorship. NCAC, n.d. Web. 07
Nov. 2016.
"Oral Contraceptives--An Update." Population Reports 28.1 (2000): 1. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 9 Nov. 2016
Paquette, Danielle. "Why American women are having fewer babies than ever." Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2016. Opposing
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