Men who have been uni, when do you expect them to have first child?

[MyPlumKoala]

If you know men around their mid 20’s, how many years realistically would you say they are from having their first child? My DS is that age, single and has never lived away from home apart from when he was at uni.

The thought of him having a child even 5 years from now, seems not likely. I was married and had DS by the age of 28.

I’m not bothered if DS doesn’t have children, it’s his choice and his life. Just wondered how many men have kids by the age of 30 if they have been to uni and have a degree?

Many people are waiting longer and longer to have children.

Gone are the days where young people are programmed to find a partner, get married and have a child and think that’s all there is to life.

Stop worrying about him and let him live his life and find his own path.

I never assume anyone is going to have children.

Most men and women I know who went to University had their first in their early 30s.

Earlier than 30 was unusual in my peer group and late 30s was due to fertility issues or not having met a partner earlier....again, same for men and women.

I'm in my 40s now so appreciate buying a house is harder for young people these days. But pretty much all my friends moved home after University to save up to buy our first houses (generally met partners in our 20s too so joint mortgages).

We have both been to uni. Our first child was when DH was 27 but lots of our friends are in their 30’s without children yet. I think it depends a lot on where you are in your career- we felt stable enough to start a family in terms of finances, me being able to reduce my hours etc. whereas my sister and her partner are in their 30’s but he is still navigating a career in medicine and hasn’t got to a stage where they feel they are ready for a family.

We both went to uni
We had a baby when I was 24 and DH was 27

When they are ready! Er, not all men are the same.....
For some men, that will be never. OP, you say you don't mind, but your question suggests the exact opposite. Please never, never raise this question with your son.

Obviously down to individual choices. DH and I had our first when i was 26 and he was 29. Our last child when i was 34 and him 37.
When we had our first DH had not finished his PhD yet. I had finished uni and a post-grad degree but was still studying further alongside full-time work. Completed my studies after my daughter was born.
I guess looking back we were probably not quite set up for child but we were young and of the view that it'd work out somehow. And it did 😂 i am definitely glad we had children 'early'. Now starting to get a lot more freedom as the kids are older (i just turned 40) and it's great.

DH graduated at 22. Had we had kids when we first started trying I'd have been 26 and him 31. I was acthally 31 and him 36 when it finally happened. Amongst his friends that went to university we were actually one of the later ones. They were all late 20's and early 30's for the men.

There are so many considerations though. We graduated in 2005 & 2011 though when the job and housing markets were easier. I think life outlook was also a little better. I wouldn't want to be graduating now and the pressure of life. I'd back off a little bit in all honesty as you might be putting pressure on him. He might still just be finding his feet or actually happy with the current situation.

dh was 28

We started dating when we were both at Uni, I was 19 and he was 21. We both did a masters degree straight after uni.
We got married when he was 25 and he was 27 with DC1 and that felt early for both of us as we didn’t own our home yet and our careers were just starting so we waited to get established in our careers and bought a house. He was 33 with DC2 and 37 with DC3.

My dad, who did not go to uni, was 35 when I was born (oldest child). That was in the '80s.

My husband (we met as students, were friends for ages before we started dating and got married) was 34. We'd both graduated in the noughties, worked for a bit, then went back to do master's degrees (2012 and 2013 respectively).

It very much depends on how long their arms are, and whether they have brown hair.

30-40. The ones who have kids at 30 have been with their partner since uni.

Statistics show otherwise. There seems to be a correlation between those who have been to university then focused on building a career, travelling or enjoying their freedom more before they start having a family.

DS2 went to uni as a single homebody at 18. He met his girlfriend on the same course and never returned home. He was 21 & she was 22 when they graduated. They bought their house when they were 23&24. DGS was born 2 days after DS2 turned 27 and a month before he started his masters.

DS1 didn’t go to university, he’s 30, has not got children however he and his DP are adamant they don’t want any.

Dh was 29 (I was 28) and in a good, professional job, but this was decades ago. Things are very different now, particularly as regards housing costs.

Me and the other half were 16 and 17 when we had our first child and he went to university at the normal age (admittedly I didn't but this thread is about men).
You can also still travel with kids

Yes, but it isn't the same.

There’s certainly a strong correlation between a woman’s educational attainment and the age at which she has her first child. Don’t know about men.

Well yes you can, but having done both they are very different

I couldn't find data in UK for men age of first child and univerity education.

Found data that suggests more dependents in UK household with someone with a degree.

https://social-mobility.data.gov.uk/drivers_of_social_mobility/conditions_of_childhood/distribution_of_parental_education/latest

42% of adults in families with dependent children had a degree or above in 2022, up from 30% in 2014.
While more children are growing up in families educated to degree level, there is still a considerable percentage of families whose highest qualification is GCSE or below – 30% in 2022 (down from 33% in 2014).

Also education in general trend to later motherhood but also later motherhood general trend for better child outcomes.

So I don't think age of first child and men's eduucation something that tracked particularly well in UK.

There's some US data
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2015/06/19/college-educated-men-take-their-time-becoming-dads/

Men who have a college degree are far more likely to delay parenthood than men who are less educated, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

But not sure that applicable to UK - as very different set up in US with debt and parental experiences generally.