Women are starting families later in life with most first-time married mothers in their 30s, new figures have revealed.

Official births, marriages and deaths figures for last year also show how one-in-three Irish babies are born out of wedlock — the highest rate since records began in 1864.

According to the Central Office of Statistics (CSO) figures released yesterday, the average age for a married woman having her first child is 31 years and five months…

Last night, Fine Gael family affairs spokesman David Stanton said the Government faced a potential population time bomb unless ministers inquire into and address the financial and social reasons for adults starting a family later in life.

“It may very well be that people are putting off the decision to have children until they are more economically secure. But if people leave it later in life to have children then they could be having fewer children and that could lead to a demographic problem of a declining population.” …

Source: Irish Examiner
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