A study led by Yale researchers examines changes in the fertility of different generations of women. They focused on women of the X generation - born between 1965 and 1982 - comparing them with their Baby Boomer counterparts. They also took into consideration the internal differences between women of the same generation, but with a different cultural level.

The researchers compared cohorts of women born at different times and with different cultural levels. The results showed that the total fertility rate has been increasing among Generation X women.

The most substantial improvements were recorded among women of higher culture, who studied at least in college. Among the women who studied at college, the percentage of those who had 2 children and chose to have a third was higher. Indeed, it can be said that having three children is the norm among high-education US women belonging to Generation X.

According to the discovery, the fertility rate may have little to do with the age of the first child. In fact, women who study longer tend to have their first child later. Nevertheless, they shorten the waiting time between one pregnancy and another, managing to have more children. This did not happen among Baby Boomer women, who have had fewer children than their more modern counterparts.

Source: yale.edu