While the majority of children continue to be born to men who are 20 to 34, a December 2003 National Vital Statistics Report indicates that birthrates among fathers age 35 to 49 increased slightly from 2001 to 2002, and are up fairly significantly over the past two decades. Between 1980 and 2002, the rate of births among men age 40 to 44 went up 32 percent, and up 21 percent for those age 45 to 49. For men 50 to 54, the growth was 9 percent.
Contributing to such trends are women waiting longer to become mothers, and men having children in second marriages. But observers say it can also simply take a while for a guy to decide it’s time for him to be a dad. (Christian Science Monitor article)
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