LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwire) -- 01/30/13 -- A growing number of people are having children later in life, meaning that an increasing number of parents of school age children are over 50.

According to research(i) women are having children later in life. In 1971 the average age women had their first child was 23.7 years. Come 2006 and this figure had risen significantly to 29.2 years of age.

Back in the 1970s birth rates were the highest for women in their early 20s; however, over the past 30 years this has increased. By 2004, the birth rate between 30-34 year old women was higher than that of women aged between 25 and 29. Women in their 40s have also seen a rise in the numbers giving birth.

In 2010, a staggering 48% of all babies born in the UK were to mother's aged 30 and over, a fifth of births were to mother's aged 35 and over.(ii)

It's not just women who are becoming first time mums later in life as 64% of first time fathers were aged over 30 in 2010. Almost 10% of new fathers were aged between 40 and 44 in the same period.

Mums and dads are having children later in life, some well into their 40s meaning that they will still have children in school by the time they hit 50.

Any mother or father with young children will know how dependent they are for support financially. And for this reason it could be worth considering life insurance.

Notes for editors

(i) ONS. General Register Office for Scotland. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency as quoted in the Childhood and family life: Socio-demographic changes Report of research conducted by The Social Issues Research Centre https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Appendix-G_SIRC-report.pdf.

(ii) ONS research. Live births in England and Wales by characteristics of mother 2010. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_239220.pdf

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