WOMEN having children past the age of 40 have increased dramatically in number over the past few years – in fact, they have risen by over a quarter in just 12 months.
Although no distinction has been made in the figures between first-time over-40 mothers and those who had already had children at a younger age, it is said that 35,666 women in their fifth decade gave birth last year – an increase of 26 per cent on numbers for 2012.
They currently represent 8.3 per cent of all women in Spain who give birth, and have doubled in number since 2006 when only 16,512 mums over 40 out of getting on for 400,000 in the country as a whole were registered.
Experts say the 'maternity calendar' is changing, particularly in light of the financial crisis – modern women 'have worked hard to gain a higher education' and 'made achieving a solid career base a priority' ahead of that of 'partners or families'.
“Settling down with a life-partner or having children are not something that happen early in life now,” says demographic expert Julio Pérez of the High Council of Scientific Investigation (CSIC).
This, and a longer wait to find work and job security, meaning leaving home and buying a property comes much later, has also led to women having children at an age normally considered high-risk, Pérez says.
Women interviewed say they chose not to have children earlier in life because they firstly wanted to make sure they were with the right partner who would be supportive and responsible, who was financially solvent, and whom they were confident they wanted to be with long-term or for good.
Many say mums in their 40s are not an unusual sight at the school gates, but that the situation is 'fairly normal'.
“There's a lot more divorce nowadays and many people decide to have a child when they meet their second husband or wife,” said one woman, who added that she was 'absolutely sure' that she would choose to have children 'when she was ready'.
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