The effect on women's lives of postponing the first child until age 25 or later

To evaluate whether women's life achievements and satisfaction were associa ted to age at the birth of their first child. Secondary analysis of data from interviews of 472 women, in a study intendi ng to compare sterilized and non-sterilized women, paired by age and place of residence, was carried out. The sample was divided into two groups. Wome n who had their first baby before age 25 (n = 3302) and those who reached t hat age as nullipara (n = 122). Educational and employment achievement, inc ome, self esteem, quality of life, relationship with a partner and gender p ower scores of the two groups were compared. Educational attainment, personal and per-capita income, self esteem, qualit y of life and relationship with a partner scores, were significantly higher among women who were able to postpone their first pregnancy until age 25 o r later.