The average age of men at the birth of their first child has risen sharply since reunification. This was announced by the Federal Institute for Population Research. In 2022, fathers were 3.7 years older than in 1991.
Men in Germany have become fathers later and later in recent years. In 1991, men were on average 31.0 years old when their first child was born, but in 2022 they were on average 34.7 years old – an increase of 3.7 years. This was announced by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB).
This trend can be observed in many countries around the world, explained the BiB. However, a joint study by BiB researchers and the University of Oldenburg shows for the first time that the recorded age of fathers at the birth of their children is not unusual in historical comparison.
Data for Germany has only been available since 1991
The current age of fathers at the birth of children is, on average, below or only slightly above the values at the beginning of the 20th century. In this respect, all countries for which data existed over the past 100 years were similar. For Germany, statements about long-term developments are not possible because the corresponding data has only been available consistently since 1991.
The researchers cited France as an example. Around 1900, fathers there were on average 34 years old when their children were born. By the 1970s, the average age had fallen to around 30 years. From 1980 onwards it increased again. “Our analyzes give the impression that the low values in the 1960s and 1970s were unusual,” explained study co-author Sebastian Klüsener from BiB.
At the beginning of the 20th century, fathers tended to be older
At the beginning of the 20th century, men founded families relatively late for economic reasons and the couples had many children, so that the youngest offspring were born when their parents were relatively old.
In the industrial societies of the first half of the 20th century, workers could have achieved higher incomes early in their working lives. This was “conducive to starting a family at an early age”.
From the 1970s onwards, however, the understanding of the roles of women and men began to change. In addition, higher requirements for professional qualifications and better educational opportunities would have led to longer training times. These and other factors ultimately contributed to an increasing age at which children are born.