Changes in the timing of births in Melbourne, Australia

2 10-year marriage cohorts from 2 surveys of married women in Melbourne were compared on their timing of the 1st and 2nd births. The results showed that women who were married in the early 1970s were much more likely to delay their first birth until about the 3rd or 4th year of marriage compared with women who married in the 1960s. This tendency to delay the 1st birth was probably aided by effective contraception, as it coincided with widespread use of the oral contraceptive. There was no difference in the timing of the 2nd birth in relation th the 1st birth between the 2 marriage cohorts. Women who delayed childbearing also preferred smaller families. Indeed, the increase in the % of women delaying childbearing appears to be synonymous with the trend toward the two-child family. Altough the number of married women in the labor force increased significantly from the early to the later cohort, a desire to work was not usually cited as the reason for delaying childbearing. Rather, economic reasons were most frequently mentioned for delaying childbearing.