The bar chart illustrates the percentages of Australian women’s ages at the birth of their first offspring over 40 years.
Overall, it is notable that the majority of mothers’ ages, those over 24 years old, showed an increased percentage, while the others experienced the opposite reduction.
To begin with, the first 20 years witnessed women aged 19–24 dominating; in 1966, this group underwent a rapid plunge, almost by 3 times, a decade later. In contrast, Australia saw people aged 25 and over giving birth to their first child 14 years later rather than the previous 10 years, approximately 10%. Additionally, there were slumps among those over 40, by around 2%, and under 19, by 14%.
Similar to the first two decades, the types of change were equivalent. Representing percentage increases were women over 30, who in 2006 marked a significant rise compared with 1986. Conversely, those under 24 had the slightest fall, by 8%. Moreover, the biggest decline was among women aged 25–30, from 50% to approximately 38%.
