Life-Course Relationship between Socioeconomic Circumstances and Timing of First Birth in a Birth Cohort

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study examines the influence of socioeconomic circumstances in childhood (childhood SES) and adulthood (adult SES) on timing of first birth by age 37.MethodsA longitudinal study of a 1972–1973 New Zealand birth cohort collected information on socioeconomic characteristics from age 3–32 and reproductive histories at 21, 26, 32 and 38; information on first birth was available from 978 of the original 1037. Relative Risks (RR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were calculated using Poisson regression to examine first live birth prior to age 21, from 21–25, from 26–31, and from 32–37, by socioeconomic characteristics at different ages.ResultsOverall, 68.5% of men had fathered a child and 75.9% of women had given birth, by age 37; with overall differences in parenthood to age 31 for men, and 37 for women evident by childhood SES. While parenthood by age 20 was strongly associated with lower childhood SES for both sexes, first entry into motherhood from 32–37 was more likely with higher adult SES at age 32 (RR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–3.0 for medium and RR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.3 for high compared with low). Education also differientated age at parenthood, with those with higher education more likely to defer fatherhood past age 31, and motherhood past age 25 followed by a period of increased likelihood of motherhood for women with higher levels of education from age 32–37 (RR = 1.4, 95% CI 0.87–2.2 and RR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.1–2.6 for medium and high respectively compared with low).ConclusionsSES varies across the lifecourse, and SES at the time has the strongest association with first births at that time. Low childhood SES drives adolescent parenthood, with resulting cumulative differences in parenthood past age 30. Those with more education and higher adult SES are deferring parenthood but attempt to catch up in the mid to late thirties.

The genetic relationship between female reproductive traits and six psychiatric disorders

“…Low access to economic resources have been associated both with an earlier age of menarche, and in both females and males, a larger number of offspring at an earlier age 60 . In particular, a strong link has been observed between lower SES during childhood and parenthood during adolescence 61 . Therefore, in sensitivity analyses, we repeated the prediction using income level (as a measure of SES) as an additional variable.…”

Preschool Verbal and Nonverbal Ability Mediate the Association Between Socioeconomic Status and School Performance

“…Yes/no), and employment type (e.g., manager, self‐employed, foreman) in line with the standard occupational classification (Office of Population and Census Surveys, 1991). Age at first birth continues to have one of the strongest associations with women's SES (van Roode, Sharples, Dickson, & Paul, 2017). A composite measure of SES was calculated by taking a mean of standardized scores of mothers' and fathers' educational level, mothers' and father occupational status, and mothers' age on birth of the first child.…”

Clinical Outcomes in High-Risk Pregnancies Due to Advanced Maternal Age

“…3 Numerous reasons underlie the increased rates of AMA pregnancies or births. [4][5][6][7] Demographic data show an increased population of women age 35-45 influenced by evolving social and cultural changes, including higher rates of divorce, having multiple partners before settling down, living together before marriage, and having a later or second marriage. Women with higher socioeconomic status (SES) and higher level of education tend to delay motherhood into their mid-to-late 30s.…”