The chart presents the proportion of Australian women who had their first child in 1966, 1986, and 2006, organised by age group.
Overall, it is clear that the percentages for women aged 30-34 and 34-39 rose considerably over the period, while the figures for those under 19 and 19-24 dropped noticeably. Meanwhile, the 25-30 and over-40 age groups showed some variation across the three years.
In 1966, the largest share was among women aged 19-24, at around 62%. This number declined sharply to about 37% in 1986 and continued to fall to roughly 29% in 2006. Likewise, the proportion of mothers under 19 decreased from 35% in 1966 to 20% in 1986, before falling slightly to around 12% in 2006. In contrast, the rate of first-time mothers in older age groups increased. For women aged 30-34, the figure rose from about 12% in 1966 to 19% in 1986, and then surged to 45% in 2006. A similar upward pattern is seen among those aged 34-39, whose share grew from around 9% in 1966 to 18% in 1986, before reaching 30% in 2006.
Meanwhile, the 25-30 age group showed noticeable fluctuation. It stood at roughly 37% in 1966 and peaked at about 50% in 1986, before dropping to 39% in 2006. Finally, the percentage of women aged 40 and above remained the smallest overall, starting at around 3% in 1966, falling slightly to 2% in 1986, and rising modestly to 5% in 2006.