The Effect of Age in the Transition to Parenthood: Are Delayed Childbearers a Unique Group?

Abstract

This study compares delayed and younger childbearers in the US during the transition to parenthood using a longitudinal design. It examines changes in the marital adjustment self-esteem and sex-role attributions that occur for both partners from the last trimester of pregnancy until their child is 12 months old. Based upon previous research and theorizing about the phenomenon of delayed childbearing it was predicted that delayed childbearing women when compared to younger childbearers would score higher in masculinity prior to giving birth and would experience less decline in marital adjustment and a greater increase in femininity across the transition to parenthood. The study failed to find any indication that delayed childbearers are a distinct group in terms of personal and family variables. There were neither initial differences between delayed and younger childbearers in any of several personal and family variables despite clear differences in demographic characteristics. Earlier quite positive assessments of delayed childbearers may have been unduly optimistic because of the use of special subgroups of delayed childbearers (e.g. women in middle management or in professional careers) and an over emphasis upon their personal assets (e.g. higher education higher income). Interestingly the transition to parenthood was quite similar for men and women on the dependent measures used. In this sample there was no difference in the proportion of women in each group who worked or who returned to work after childbirth.

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