Record number of women in their FORTIES are having children, says CDC trends now

Record number of women in their FORTIES are having children, says CDC trends now
Record number of women in their FORTIES are having children, says CDC trends now

Record number of women in their FORTIES are having children, says CDC trends now

A record number of women in their 40s are having children, official data shows — as the birth rate continues to drop off in younger age groups.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed the birth rate for women aged 40 to 44 rose four percent in 2022 on the previous year to a record high.

There was also a 12 percent uptick among women who were aged 45 to 49 years, the first change in this rate since 2015, and to another record level.

Experts say that more people are putting off starting a family until later in life, instead choosing to focus on their career, travel and social life in their younger years. The rise of technologies such as invitro-fertilization (IVF) and egg freezing have also played a role.

The uptick among older women comes as America's fertility rate hovers at just below 1.7 births per woman. It hit a record low in 2020 at 1.6 when the pandemic led many couples to put off having children.

The above map shows the percentage change in the number of births recorded in 2022 compared to the previous year by state. New Mexico, Washington DC and North Dakota saw the sharpest dips. At the other end of the scale, however, Texas, Florida and Delaware saw the sharpest upticks

The above map shows the percentage change in the number of births recorded in 2022 compared to the previous year by state. New Mexico, Washington DC and North Dakota saw the sharpest dips. At the other end of the scale, however, Texas, Florida and Delaware saw the sharpest upticks

The above graph shows the US fertility rate or the number of children per woman by year. IT currently stands at 1.7 per woman, as it continues to trend downwards

The above graph shows the US fertility rate or the number of children per woman by year. IT currently stands at 1.7 per woman, as it continues to trend downwards

The above graph shows birth rates by different age groups. It shows that while there has been a downturn in younger age groups, older ones shave seen a persistent uptick

The above graph shows birth rates by different age groups. It shows that while there has been a downturn in younger age groups, older ones shave seen a persistent uptick

Dr Joshua Goldstein, the director of the population center at the University of California, Berkeley, told NBC News that the lower fertility rates 'probably means that more women are having children when they want to have children'. 

He continued: 'They’ve had chances to get a better education, better chances to find the right partner, more chances to excel in their career.

'It’s not the size of the next generation that matters. It’s the contribution that generation can make. The fact that women are able to have children at the ages they want and invest in those children is a positive thing.'

For women aged 40 to 44 years, the fertility rate was 12.5 births per 1,000 women, while for those in the older age group, it was 1.1 per 1,000.  

There was also an uptick in the birth rate among women who were in their late 30s, where it rose two per cent to 54.9 per 1,000.

But birth rates continued to decline among women aged 20 to 34 years — and hit a record low among those aged 20 to 24 years.

Among teenagers, the rate hit a record low of 13.9 births per 1,000 women in the age group — after falling eight percent from 2007 to 2021.

Official data showed that overall there were 3,000 fewer babies born last year compared to 2021.

The report from the CDC, released today, said 3.661million births

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