Average age of first-time mothers lowest in Sask., report says
Saskatchewan has the lowest average age of first-time mothers in the country, according to a recent report released by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.
The report says that since 2012 the average age of first-time mothers in Saskatchewan is 27.3. British Columbia had the highest average age of 30.4 years.
The report also says that since 1965 the average age of first-time mothers in Canada has risen from 23.5 to 29.4 years of age in 2019.
The average age of first-time mothers has risen the quickest in Alberta since 2012, the report states.
“The fact they continue unchanged through economic booms and busts and across all provinces suggests that these trends have more to do with changing societal norms than with financial considerations, such as the cost of living and the cost of childcare,” the report said.
Financial reasons for deciding when to have a first child are more likely the main explanation for differences across provinces the report said.
“Thus, it is perhaps not surprising that the average age of mothers at first birth is highest in provinces like British Columbia and Ontario, where housing costs, and costs of living in general, have proven to be consistently higher than in other provinces.”
According to the report, in 2016 the average age of first time mothers in Canada was near the average for OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) at 29.2. However it was noticeably lower than in countries like Spain (30.8) and Italy (31).
The report said data was gathered from Statistics Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.