Motherhood at 20, 30, 40…
Tell me how old you are, and I’ll tell you what kind of mother you’ll be! At 20, 30 or 40, mothers have different ways of approaching childbirth and child rearing. Material concerns, time management and nurseries all come into the equation. A French survey gives some insight into today’s various motherhood profiles.
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What are the differences between mothers of different ages? This is what the French childcare provider Dodie, set about figuring out. In order to familiarize itself with ongoing trends, the company performed a survey of mothers with babies aged 0 to 24 months. With the help of TNS Sofres, a French polling institute, differences between mothers based on their age were identified.
Over 500 mothers were surveyed and split into 3 groups: those under 24, those aged 28 to 32, and those aged 33 and over. The second age category represented 40% of all women polled.
The desire for motherhood
The first observation doesn’t come as a surprise: the older they get, the more children women have. 66% of mothers in the first age group (under 24) had recently given birth to their first child, while 40% of women from the second group (28-32) said they were finding out for the first time about the joy of becoming a mother. Only a small 25% of the new mothers aged 33 and above said they hadn’t had the time or hadn’t been willing to conceive a child earlier.
These figures should be examined in the light of what these mothers deem to be the ideal age for becoming one. The majority of mothers under 24 years old would have preferred to give birth to their child later, at around 33. As for mothers aged 32 and above, they consider 27 to be the best age for conceiving. This is also the age at which most of the women surveyed had brought their first child into the world. It should be noted that the oldest reported age for becoming a first-time mum was 43.
Motherhood brings change and new concerns
Of course, the birth of a child always turns a woman’s lifestyle habits upside down. But this major event is perceived differently depending on age. Mothers in the first age group said having a baby had made them more self-confident, and more mature, especially compared with the father. For those in the other two age groups, the changes that came along with childbirth mainly affected lifestyle, as they needed to conciliate their professional and family responsibilities and make more time for themselves.
Regardless of how old they were, the women’s overriding goal was to be a good mother to their children, which they all agreed involves educating them well. Differences arose when it came to the details.
Mothers in the first age group (under 24) were worried about whether their child was getting the best diet. Those in the second group (28-32) put their child’s health at the top of their concerns. Mothers in their late 30s and early 40s worried mostly about the material side of their child’s future life, such as housing and finance. All of them fretted about the repercussions their new status as mothers might have on their professional career. Financial considerations, it should be added, were also a matter of great concern to mothers under 24, which is nothing surprising.
Parenthood brings more love between the couple… but only for some
As for the effect of being a parent on the couple, opinions differ widely. In the first two age groups (between 18 and 32), women said that childbirth strengthened the love between them and their partners, while those in the third age group were rather mixed, with a greater percentage thinking that having a baby can even ruin a couple’s love.
Though mothers have different concerns depending on their ages, one thing remains constant, and that’s the joy of having a child!
Copyright © 2009 Doctissimo
Posted 20.08.2010
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