Australian women are continuing the trend to start their
families later in life according to a report to be released by the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia's Mothers
and Babies 1996 shows that the average age for first-time
mothers in 1996 was 26.6 years, up from 25.8 in 1991. The average
age for all mothers in 1996 was 28.6 years.
Five per cent of new mothers were teenagers; of these more than
4,000 (1.7%) were 17 years or younger.
Head of the AIHW National Perinatal Statistics Unit at the
University of New South Wales, Dr Paul Lancaster, said that while
women are having their first babies later than in the past, most
still start their families before they're 35. Only 1 in 13 mothers
had their first baby when they were 35 or older.'
'Australia's Mothers and Babies 1996 also shows that
23% of mothers were born outside Australia. Asian-born mothers
increased from 5% of all mothers in 1991 to over 7% in 1996.
Mothers born in Vietnam made up 1.8% of all births in Australia
that year, China 1.3% and the Philippines 1.1%.
The report also shows that 3% of all women who had babies in
1996 were Indigenous and their average age was 24.
Other facts contained in Australia's Mothers and Babies
1996 include:
- almost 1 in 5 births were by caesarean section;
- 40% of mothers stayed in hospital less than 4 days compared
with 20% in 1991;
- most babies are born in hospital, but more babies were born in
birth centres than in previous years (about 2% of
confinements);
- more boys than girls are born in Australia - the national ratio
was 106.2 boys for every 100 girls. The sex ratio for singleton
births was higher than for twins and other multiple births.
31 March 1999
Further information: Dr Paul Lancaster, ph. 02
9382 1047/1014 or 02 9427 0112 (after hours).
For media copies of the report: Lena Searle, ph.
02 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for details.