The Trend of Delayed Parenthood- Reasons Behind Couples Choosing to Have Children Later in Life

The Trend of Delayed Parenthood- Reasons Behind Couples Choosing to Have Children Later in Life

It was common for individuals to marry young and have children at a young age in the past. However, the 21^st century has seen various changes in this institution and even the definition of marriage. The changing roles of women and men in the current society can help to explain why so many people have children at a later age today. According to Feldman (2018), these changing roles see most women involved in the labor force instead of the initial traditional roles revolving around children and the home. The pressure for most people to start a family is normally overwhelming, particularly for women who are mostly focused on their careers. Feldman (2018) notes that employed women who have children under the age of three are forced to put in about 90 hours a week, which means working an extra month for 24 hours a year. For most women, juggling between work and family is considered too stressful. Therefore, in the current era, most women focus on their careers and consider having children later. Besides competing with employment and education aspirations, parenthood is commonly considered a personal preference that could have such possibilities as voluntary childlessness or postponement of children until a time that is considered more consistent with the career path that one (particularly the woman) has chosen or any other life goals (Mills et al., 2011). Postponing childbirth to a later age in time is also influenced by other factors such as low gender equity, economic uncertainty, limited housing availability, and changes in partnership behavior (Mills et al., 2011). Additionally, postponing childbirth to a later age is linked with such benefits as having better family functioning, a more stable economic position for the parents, and more family stability. Our assignment writing help is at affordable prices to students of all academic levels and disciplines.

References

Feldman, R. (2018). Essentials of Understanding Psychology. McGraw-Hill Education.

Mills, M., Rindfuss, R. R., McDonald, P., & Te Velde, E. (2011). Why do people postpone parenthood? Reasons and social policy incentives. Human reproduction update, 17(6), 848-860.

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In one paragraph, discuss the reasoning behind couples having children at a later age.

The Trend of Delayed Parenthood- Reasons Behind Couples Choosing to Have Children Later in Life