Postponement of Childbearing and Mental Health Outcomes: Evidence from the British Birth Cohorts
Current literature on the link between fertility and health shows an inverted U-shape relationship between age at first birth and several physical and mental health measures. In particular, very early and very late childbearing are associated with worse outcomes, such as a higher prevalence of chronic diseases and higher risk of depression. However, the pattern of age at childbearing has changed substantially in developed countries, with a consistent postponement of parenthood since 1970s. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that psychological distress in mid-life has increased over time, and understanding its determinants is necessary. Existing studies fail to investigate how postponement of childbearing is associated with mental health outcomes in mid-life. Using data from the British Cohort Studies, we fill this gap in the literature by examining the relationship between age at childbearing and several measures of psychological distress among men and women in their mid-40s, born in 1946, 1958 and 1970.
Date: 27 February 2020, 12:30
Venue: 42-43 Park End Street, 42-43 Park End Street OX1 1JD
Venue Details: Entrance on Tidmarsh Lane
Speaker: Maria Sironi (UCL)
Organising department: Department of Sociology
Organisers: Dr Zachary van Winkle (University of Oxford), Dr Patrick Präg (University of Oxford)
Part of: Department of Sociology Hilary Term Seminars
Booking required?: Not required
Cost: Free
Audience: Public
Editor: Natasha Cotton