Parenthood
General trends
Young people are much less likely to be parents than in the past.
Women are also having fewer children at younger ages. For those aged 15 to 19, the birth rate has fallen from 49.8 births per 1,000 women in 1976 to a low of 25.5 births per 1,000 women in 2002. More recently, the last five years has seen a slight increase in the teen birth rate to 32.1 births per 1,000 women in 2008.
The fall in fertility has been more dramatic for women in the 20 to 24 age range. In 1976, young women aged 20 to 24 had the highest birth rate of all age groups – 152 births per 1,000 women. By 2008, the birth rate among young women aged 20 to 24 had fallen to just 76.7 per 1,000 women.
The median age of New Zealand mothers giving birth in 2008 was 30 years old.
Age specific birth rate: females aged 15 to 19 and 20 to 24, 1976-2007
Source: Statistics New Zealand, birth tables
