Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Michael Goodier

Births among women over 50 rise 15% in England, figures show

Office for National Statistics England Tana Ramsay Clare Murphy Gordon Ramsay
Close-up view of the torsos of seated, pregnant women, one with blue dress between two in striped dresses
There is a wider trend towards women giving birth later in life while, according to the regulator, the average age of patients undergoing IVF is now 36. Photograph: Bsip Sa/Alamy

It is an age when many are starting to enjoy the freedom of having older children – or their childfree choices – and using their spare time to get back to the gym, go on date nights and worry about their pensions. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), however, a growing number of women and their partners are choosing to enter the fray of newborn parenting in midlife.

According to a Guardian analysis of the figures, between 2016-18 and 2019-21 there was a 15% rise in the number of women giving birth in England aged over 50. In the 2019-21 period seven women over 60 gave birth, with two of them over 65.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
US Schools Record Nearly 12,000 Book Bans, the Highest Ever in a Single Year, as 'Jane Eyre' and 'Lessons in Chemistry' Join the List
PEN America reports nearly 12,000 book-ban instances in US schools, a record total, as Texas overtakes Florida and AI tools enter the removal process.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Alice Zaslavsky’s shortcut beetroot baked risotto – recipe
An unconventional technique makes this vibrant rice – finished with dill fronds – a lower-touch dinner for weeknights
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Does your sleep tracker get it right? A Pittsburgh neuroscientist weighs in
On a typical night, I go to bed wearing a tracking watch on one wrist and another type of tracker on the other wrist. Then I compare their sleep findings while I drink my morning coffee.
The Conversation
The Conversation
There's A Reason Taxi Cabs Are Almost Always Yellow
Yellow taxis are easy to spot in traffic, but the color's history goes far beyond simple visibility.
Motor1
Motor1
How ‘technoference’ can disrupt parent-child connections
Have you ever been telling someone a story when their phone lights up, and their eyes flicker toward their device?
The Conversation
The Conversation
Holding Lightning by Emily Lordi review – an intimate portrait of Whitney Houston
An empathetic biography of the the singer recasts her tumultuous later career as a triumph of self-expression
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play