Childbearing and childrearing

• Childbearing is having children (giving birth) whilst childbearing is bringing them up. Many of the key changes in childbearing and childbearing link to trends in marriage and divorce, etc. For example:

  • women are having children later (links to delayed marriage and focus on career)
  • Women are having fewer children (closely linked to the above)
  • A higher proportion of women are choosing not to have children at all (approx. 25% of women will never have children)
  • More than 40% of children are born outside of marriage (links to decline in marriage and increase in cohabitation
• These trends seem to be continuing and are linked to secularisation and the changing role of women in society