To think that society should support women to have children early in adult life

[ReallyTired]

Babies born to older mothers have a higher risk of special needs, it is harder to concieve after 35 and there are more likely to be complications with giving birth and pregnancy. It is far easier to give get pregnant and birth at 25 than 40.

Unfortunately women are under huge pressure to put off childbearing until their late thirties because its very hard to build a career after children. I feel that there should be more help for mothers returning to the workplace after children and stronger legistation to combat age discrimination. Ie apprenticeships should be open to mothers returning/ starting out in the work place as well as under 25s. I would like more help to allow mothers to have career breaks and return to the work place.

Surely its easier to change the attitudes of employers than basic biology. (Ie. its far easier to have a challenging career starting in your 40s than to start a family.

tbf people are openly very 'down' on young mothers which is very offensive.

having the boot on the other foot may humble soon.

My DP was 22 when we started trying. 23 when he became a father. Again age had nothing to do with it.

With regards to your OP: I think the attitude of employers should change towards mothers of any age. Your concern is only with young mothers who later find it difficult to get on the career ladder. However, mothers who had a good career for several years pre-children, also find it difficult to find a good family work balance, forcing some to become SAHM and finding it very difficult to go back to a good career.

*may humble some.

Nonsense op, I had 2 kids in my twenties and 2 more after 36...

No competition I was healthier, wealthier, much less selfish and a much more centred mature woman in 20s so a better mother.

Mothers need support whatever their age.

Bollocks meant better in 30s than 20s!!!!!

What mrsconfuseddotcom said on page 7.

Why 25? I thought biologically the best time to give birth was about 17 or 18

You don't ever know why people have a career and not babies so its wrong really to make an assumption that they are "putting it off".

To all intents and purposes anyone in my working life might well have thought the same about me. How would they know that I had 15 years of fertility treatments and nothing worked?

When I fell pregnant naturally at age 39, and again at age 41 people assumed it was because that was the way I had wanted it. These days, with a 10 and a 13 year old, people ask me if we are on our second marriage/family when they find out how old I am - which is just another massive assumption.

you should never assume!

I had DS when I was 22. He has ASD.
I had DD when I was 25 - he is NT.

I had DS1 when I was 17 - he has AS

Older mothers are better mothers.

Says who??

Older mothers are better mothers.

statistically, for some measures of 'better', perhaps. Before someone jumps on that generalisation like a ton of bricks!

Age has nothing to do with the sort of mother. It is also impossible to say what is better-if someone is attachment parenting etc they have no doubt chosen it because they think it is better-there is nothing to say that it is better in general it is merely better for them.

Older mothers are better mothers

if you say so

Thats a bit of a shite thing to say Bonsoir. And its not actually true either. There are good and bad parents regardless of age.

I am a younger mum a lot of the mums where I live are in early 40s with primary age children and who is to say I am a worse mother than them because they maybe had their DC at 35 and i Didn't My adult child is well adjusted and focused we did that at a young age I am a bloody good mum we all have parenting wobbles at any age regardless of age

Older mothers are not better mothers. Age really doesn't come into it.

"Unfortunately women are under huge pressure to put off childbearing until their late thirties because its very hard to build a career after children"

I didn't want children until I was in my mid thirties and I don't have a career, I have a bog standard job I really like but could have interrupted any time I wanted to have babies had I wanted to. My biggest problem was the man I was with being an arse about having kids.

Having children should be a woman's choice, those who want them young should have them young and those who want to wait should wait.

Older mothers are better mothers?
Prove it.

I am a better mother now I'm older but I don't think its the same for everyone. There is a 13 and 9 year old gap between oldest and youngest. I am more relaxed, a bit better off, have hindsight etc

Why is the focus always on women, and how women should do more/change, etc? Why focus on this instead of, for example, focussing on encouraging families to bring up men to be more responsible and family focussed, and to also settle down and have children sooner? After all, so many intelligent women have no choice other than to pursue their careers in their twenties because they need to support themselves, and it can be a struggle to actually find a man who wants to have a family with them and stick around!

Absolutely geegee

Really good point, geegee.