From what age would you say it is acceptable to have your first child?

[SeoHyunJin]

This is a question for some research I am currently doing

Can you also please state your ethnicity and age range
eg East Asian age 30-40
Thanks!

Real search for what?

When you are physically, financially and emotionally ready. It will be different for different people.

20-ish.
Citizen of the world. 65.

Impossible to answer.

Depends far too much on so many variables.

I know someone who had her first child at 15 and was/is the most amazing mother whilst seeing some pretty dubious parenting from people having kids in their 30's.

You also don't clarify what you mean by acceptable.

Do you mean socially acceptable, medically acceptable, psychologically acceptable?

What are the circumstances of the conception? If (god forbid) a 12 year old was raped and hid and ensuing pregnancy is that not an acceptable age to have a first child?

What support does the mother have and what's their level of maturity (as opposed to their age)?

I could go on...

Whenever you as an individual woman with rights over her own mind and body feel ready willing and able.
Female dont know why ethnicity matters age 33

What an odd question.

Generally I would say from age 24, as the woman has probably graduated uni or been in work and will have some life experience and resources.

White European, 52

17 or 18 to be physically & emotionally mature enough to cope.

European graduate, 56

When you can afford to support it.

What do you mean by acceptable, OP?

And what kind of research? I assume you just mean you're just curious?

@LonginesPrime I just want to make a graph to compare opinions of people of different ages to see whether my hypothesis (Younger people are more likely to accept pregnancy at yoynger age) is right or not :)

Acceptable to whom?

What will be the axes of the graph?

When you can support the baby and yourself without relying on outside help. BUT. If it happens sooner, and you do have the help and support, go for it. Europe, 30-40.

@TerrapinStation It will be a scatter graph with age of the parent on the x axis (going up in 5s from age 15-35) and then the age of the participant on the y axis (20s, 30s, 40s etc).

I don’t think it’s a good idea for young women to get pregnant until they’ve finished growing. So maybe 17/18?

I wouldn’t use the words acceptable/unacceptable though. If a younger girl got pregnant, I’d see it as a welfare concern, not a moral failure.

White 30-40

It depends when they are ready and if they are still in education etc. We waited until I was 22 to start ttc because I wanted to finish university first but if I'd left school at 16 and started working I would probably have felt ready to start ttc much earlier. So I would probably hoik my judgy pants at someone who was ttc aged under 18 or so but happy accidents would be ok from 16-17 ish.

I'm English in my late 30's

Acceptable is such a strange choice of word.

The right time is different for different people. If it happens before the right time, people just deal with it best they can.

to see whether my hypothesis (Younger people are more likely to accept pregnancy at yoynger age) is right or not

So ethnicity isn't relevant then.

There will likely be a correlation between people who don't have a problem with younger pregnancies and people who are less judgemental in general.

I'm still not sure what you mean by 'accepting' pregnancies though.

IMO, whether it's acceptable might be quite different from whether it's desirable, but both are a question of personal choice and circumstance (assuming we're talking about wanted, consensual pregnancies). I'm in the 30-40 age bracket.

@LonginesPrime I want to see if ethnicity also has an effect on peoples' choices as I feel that Europeans are more likely to accept it compared to Asians.

Personally I find it surprising when anyone does before about 28/29. But that doesn't make it not "acceptable". Your question is far to unclear to get any useful responses.

I think it is more of a class issue than a race or age one.

Of course in Mumsnet land it is not acceptable for a woman to have a baby until she is top of her career, owns a house outright and has the money for private schooling, pony lessons and university in the bank.

In my world (where I had a baby at 21) I know loads of young mums who are doing brilliantly.

‘Acceptable’ - doesn’t make sense
‘Advisable‘ - when full time education finished.

White. Old.

White British and 55

I'll bite. I had my son at 19, I'm now 27. There has been a definitive shift with people I know from, "Fuck was it planned?! What are you going to do?" To, "Oh my congratulations, thats amazing!" (With sinserity) within the last 3/4 years.

Some people are never ready, others from early 20s. I hope my kids don't have children til at least 26-28. I want them to be able to experience adulthood for a while, and also doubt that they will have matured enough in themselves and found the right partner and spent a few years enjoying couplehood before then. In fact after 30 even better but selfishly as I didn't have them until I was in my 40s I don't want them to wait too long!
White, 58.