More women over 40 are getting pregnant. But is that really about their choices? | Zeynep Gurtin
An ONS report frames later motherhood in terms of women’s changing roles. But men’s decisions also affect fertility patterns
The trend for later motherhood is continuing apace. This week, the Office for National Statistics released new data on conception rates for women in England and Wales, showing that teenage pregnancy rates continued to decline in 2017, and that, for the first time, more women are getting pregnant in their 30s than in their 20s. But perhaps the most striking trend concerns fortysomethings, the only age group – for the second year running – whose conception rates are on the increase. This reflects a dramatic long-term shift: they have more than doubled since 1990.
Related: More women getting pregnant after 30 than in 20s for first time