The chart shows the percentage of Australian women who gave birth to their first child in three different years: 1966, 1986, and 2006, categorized by their age at the time of birth.
Overall, the data clearly indicates a significant changes in the age when women first become mothers, moving from younger age groups towards older age groups over the 40-year period.
In 1966, the majority of first birth were women in the 19-24 age group which reach almost 65% of the total. The next highest group was 25-30 around 38%, and under 19 was about 33%. By contrast, the proportion of women over 30 giving birth for the first time was smaller compared to 30-34 age group which about 15%. Furthermore, over 40 age group is in the lowest level just about 5%.
The data for 1986 shows that the 19-24 group had fallen significantly to about 35%, meanwhile 25-30 group also fell but slightly to just over 30%. Interestingly, all the older age groups saw a rise. The percentage of first births to women aged 30-34 doubled to nearly 20%, and even the Over 40 group increased a little bit.
By the year 2006, the trends were firmly established. The 30-34 age group became the largest, hitting a peak of around 48%. Importantly, the proportion of women having their first child in their late teens and early twenties fell greatly; the 19-24 group dropped to just 28%, making it smaller than both the 25-30 and 34-39 groups. The data also highlights the rise in older first-time mothers. The 30-34 group was around 38%, and the 35-39 age group rose to about 30%, showing women are waiting longer to have children.