Why Australian parents are now older than ever

New Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals the age of mums and dads is higher than ever, with the fertility rate for mothers aged 40-44 tripling in the last four decades.

In 1975, the most common age for a woman to have a child was 25. Now, it’s 32.

Social researcher at McCrindle Research, Mark McCrindle, says the birth rate — 1.6 babies per woman — is at “pretty much an all-time low”, and that’s, in part, due to couples waiting longer to have their first child.

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He says cost of living pressures, women studying and starting careers before having children, and a later start to a young person’s independent years of adulthood contribute to the rising age of parents.

Mr McCrindle says financial support in the early years of a child’s life would likely assist the fertility rate and “these children do make a net contribution to the taxpaying base over their lifetime”.