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Title: Age at Entry into Motherhood and Mothers’ Sociodemographic Characteristics, 2015-2018
Citation Type: Working Paper
Publication Year: 2020
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Abstract: In the U.S., women are entering motherhood at older ages, with the age at first birth rising from a mean of 21.4 in 1970 to 26.8 in 2017 (FP-18-25). Women who have first births at younger ages differ on a range of characteristics compared to women who become mothers at later ages, and maternal age is linked to children’s well-being (Gibson-Davis & Rackin, 2014; Brown, Stykes, & Manning, 2016; Rackin & Gibson-Davis, 2018). This profile uses the Current Population Survey’s 2018 June Fertility Supplement to identify mothers who had a first birth between 2015 and 2018. Education level, race/ethnicity, and union status of mothers are compared across three groups classified by age at first birth: younger mothers (less than 24 years old), mid-range age mothers (24 to 29 years old), and older mothers (30 years or older). Additional profiles using the June Fertility Supplement analyze trends in completed family size among women aged 40-44 by education and race/ethnicity (FP-20-04) and by union status (FP-20-03).
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Authors: Carlson, Lisa
Series Title: National Center for Family & Marriage Research Series
Publication Number: 5
Institution: Bowling Green State University
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Data Collections: IPUMS CPS
Topics: Education, Family and Marriage, Race and Ethnicity
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