As Women Move Up the Educational Ladder, They Are Less Likely to Give Birth

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau provides a detailed analysis of American women and childbirth. Of particular interest to readers of Women in Academia Report may be statistics on childbirth by educational attainment.

The statistics show that for all women ages 15 to 50 in June 2012, 42.4 percent had not given birth. For women aged 40 to 50, 16.1 percent had never given birth.

For all women ages 15 to 50 with a bachelor’s degree, 41.3 percent had not given birth. For women aged 40 to 50 in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree 18.2 percent had not given birth.

For all women ages 15 to 50 with a graduate or professional degree in 2012, 38.3 percent had not given birth. For graduate degree holders ages 40 to 50, 22.5 percent of all women had not given birth. In contrast, only 9.9 percent of  40- to 50-year-old women in 2014 who dropped out of high school had not given birth by age 40.

Thus, the data shows that as women move up the educational ladder they are less likely to have children than their less-educated peers over the course of their child-bearing years.