...
By Jordan King
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Older women in the U.S. are having more babies, data suggests, despite the overall declining birth rate.
More women seemingly had children as they entered their late 40s in 2024, according to analysis by the United States Census Bureau.
This is different to trends seen in all other age groups, which are having fewer babies and seeing an increase in childlessness.
Read More on News
Why It Matters
The United States, like many countries, is experiencing a long-term decline in birth rates, raising concerns about the ability of future generations to support an aging population.
However, recent data suggests a significant shift in who is having children—birth rates are dropping most sharply among teenagers and young women, while older women are increasingly choosing to become mothers.
This change highlights evolving societal attitudes toward family planning, career priorities, and reproductive autonomy, drawing attention to both the opportunities and challenges faced by American families today.
What To Know
Last year, 14.9 percent of women between the ages of 45 and 50 were childless, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey Fertility Supplement. This is down from 16.7 percent in 2014.
"This suggests that more women had children as they entered their late 40s," U.S. Census Bureau researchers said.
At the same time, proportions of childless women in lower age groups have increased, according to the bureau.
The proportion of teens aged 15 to 19 who were childless in 2024 was 97.8 percent, up from 95.9 percent in 2014.
Indeed, Newsweek has previously reported on how the shifts in when people have babies is changing the phenomenon of the teen mom in America.
In 1975, there were 599,926 teen births in America—more than four times the number of teen pregnancies recorded in 2024 (136,376), according to the U.N. Population Division.
The rise in childlessness has been steepest among women in their 20s and 30s—85 percent of women between the ages of 20 and 24 were childless in 2024, up from 75 percent in 2014.
Among women aged 25 to 29, childlessness rose from about 50 percent in 2014 to 63 percent in 2024.
Women in the age group 30 to 34 saw childlessness rise from 29 percent in 2014 to 40 percent in 2024.
This data reflects that "young adults today prioritize economic security over starting a family, reflecting the rising burden of housing, food, gas and other costs," the U.S. Census Bureau says.
Newsweek has broken down all the major reasons discussed behind the birth rate decline, including economic difficulties and major cultural shifts, here.
What People Are Saying
Global health economics professor Margaret Anne McConnell previously told Newsweek: "Any time we see people being able to make fertility choices that suit their family, I think that's a success. I think people choosing to have children later in life is also a success … To the extent that we can make it possible for people to reach whatever their desired family size is, I think that that would be a societal priority.
"There are a lot of people for whom reductions in fertility represent their true preferences. They were able to go to college and get a higher degree or take longer to choose a partner that they feel better about and those have very many positive elements. But I think the other are sort of underappreciated."
Claire Brindis, co-director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Health National Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, previously told Newsweek: "Clearly, access to education has been shown to be a huge motivator, as young women are surrounded by role models, including their moms, who have improved their own educational status and who hold great expectations that their daughters can break more glass ceilings than they were able to themselves."
What Happens Next
Demographic experts and policymakers continue to debate how best to respond to the ongoing birth rate shift. While some governments are introducing family-friendly policies such as longer parental leave and subsidized child care, the impact on overall fertility remains limited. The phenomenon of older motherhood is expected to persist as women increasingly prioritize education, career, and financial security before having children. Experts like McConnell advocate supporting reproductive choices and helping all families—regardless of age—achieve their desired size.
Ultimately, America's changing approach to motherhood reflects societal progress in reproductive choice and the recognition that the timing and size of families are deeply personal—and increasingly diverse—decisions. The long-term impacts of these trends on the U.S. economy and society remain the subject of robust research and public policy debate.
...
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines