The number of women giving birth to children aged 40 and over has increased fivefold since 1990

The recently published report of the Institute for Demographic Studies and Research (IDEM) on the topic: “Fewer children and more “old mothers”. Birth rates”, the author of the article is Professor Vyronas Kotzamanis of the University of Thessaly (IDEM), provides shocking figures.

In the report, the author answers pressing questions: “Why has the recent birth “explosion” increasingly been observed among mothers aged 39 and older? What are the annual birth rates among women aged 40-49 today and 30 years ago (barely exceeding 1.3 children per woman)? How many children do 40-49 year olds ultimately have (born at the end of the reproductive cycle, at age 50) among women of subsequent generations?”

The answers, according to Mr. Kotsamani, are obvious. The shift in childbearing age toward older ages is the main cause of the baby boom.although, according to him, the increase in the population of reproductive age over 40 years and scientific advances in reproductive medicine methods have played a role in the last decade. More and more couples are turning to IVF.

As for the contribution of the number of children born as a result of the IVF procedure to the “rise” in annual rates, it is small. Because the number of women giving birth at the age of 40+ was limited. If the birth rate of 40+ were zero, then:

• 1,000 women born in 1951 would have 25 fewer children (2,023 instead of 2,048),
• for 1000 women born in 1961 – 39 less (1850 instead of 1889),
• for 1000 women born in 1981 – 95 less (1410 instead of 1505).

Advances in assisted reproductive technologies and increased access to them, says Mr Kotsamanis, will not lead to a significant increase in the birth rate among women aged 40 and older in the next two decades. The author of the article also notes that Greece is included among those countries that in the generations of 1970-75 had:

1. the biggest “gap” (in fertility) between the number of children a couple wants and the number of children they will have (French women will have 5% fewer children than they want, while we will have 20% fewer).
2. a large difference between the percentage of women who want to have at least one child and the proportion who will remain childless, bringing the childlessness rate in these generations to around 23% in Greece compared to 15% in France.

According to the expert, the above mentioned differences reflect the different policies between the two countriesa policy that led France to the point where everything post-war generations, up until 1980 inclusive, had slightly more than two childrenin contrast to the figure in our country, where all generations after the 1960s had fewer than two children, and the younger ones had only 1.5 children per woman born in 1981.

That's why improving birth rates According to the demographer, this is unattainable unless an extremely favorable environment for families and the birth of the desired number of children is created in our country.

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