The bar chart depicts the percentage of Australian women giving birth to their first child in three years (1966, 1986, and 2006).
Overall, women aged 25-30 accounted the largest share, while those over 40 ages accounted for only a minority throughout the period. Most age groups showed an upward trend, except under 19 and 19-24, which dropped gradually over the time.
In 1996, women aged 19-24 reached a peak at approximately 62%, compared with 33% for the under 19 group. Then both of these declined, with the 19-24 group fell about half to 28%, and the adolescent group went down to 12% in 2006.
On the other hand, woman aged 25-30 remained relatively stable and represented the major share in 1986 around 50%. By contrast, women over 40 ages almost unchanged at under 5% during period. Meanwhile 30-34 age escalated over the year, and made up the highest proportion in 2006 at approximately 45%, while the 34-39 group grew gradually and reached 30% in the same year.
