Maternal age at first birth: dynamics, regional differences, determination

The article presents the research results of the age model at first birth in Russia for the period of 1960-2019 which is available for calculations. The authors demonstrate the compatibility of data on first births from different sources, and calculate the indicator of “mean maternal age at first birth” using the methods of longitudinal and transverse demographic analysis (for real and conditional generations). The researchers have revealed that mother’s age at first birth in the period from the 1960s to 1994 was decreasing from 24.4 to 22.5 years, then it was growing and in 2019 it made up 25.9 years. The age at first birth in “young” real generations is lower than in conventional ones, in 2018-2019, it made up 25.9 years, but in none of real generations of women born in 2000 and older the total count value of this indicator reaches this level. This is evidence of timing shifts in the second half of the 1990s - early 2000s, after which, probably, the delayed births were realized, which caused an increase in the birth rate. The average maternal age at first birth has been calculated for all regions of Russia, showing variability from 23 to 28 years, in most of them the figure made up 25-26 years. The minimum values of the indicator are shown in the republics of Tyva (23.4 years), Dagestan (23.5), Chechnya (23.7), and Zabaykalsky Krai (23.9); the maximum values are revealed in Saint Petersburg (28.0) and Moscow (27.7). The main determinants of motherhood age are the level of education and marital behavior, which indicates the importance of socio-economic independence in the process of reproductive behavior formation. The novelty of the study lies in the use of the author’s approach taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of longitudinal and transverse demographic analysis, which provides reliable data on mother’s age at first birth. From a practical point of view, assessing motherhood age makes it possible to justify the importance of improving the effectiveness of youth and demographic policies.