An (Extended) Family Perspective on Childbearing Postponement

Alice Goisis, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

The past decades have been characterized by a considerable postponement of childbearing behaviours. As women who postpone have, on average, higher SES, children of older mothers are expected to benefit from this process. However, evidence presented by the “weathering” hypothesis literature suggests that ethnic minority children do not necessarily benefit from their mothers’ older age at (first) birth. In light of these differences, it is important to consider whether other aspects of the family, in addition to/or rather than SES, change with increasing maternal age. For example, knowledge of whether patterns of intergenerational support change with increasing maternal age at birth remains elusive. This is an oversight as diminished participation in kin networks could have negative consequences for ethnic minority mothers and their children. This paper investigates whether, in the U.K., patterns of family support diminish with increasing maternal age at birth and whether they change differently across ethnic groups.