Late Motherhood in Poland: Timing of the First Childbirth in the Context of Educational, Professional and Conjugal Careers

Anna Rybinska, Warsaw School of Economics

Postponing motherhood is a widespread phenomenon across developed countries however only few studies look into late motherhood in post-socialist countries on a micro-scale. In this study, we look at the context of the first childbirth in Poland in the midst of the political transformation of 1989. Using individual data from the 2011 GGS-PL and the 2011 FAMWELL Survey, we reconstructed life trajectories of women who experienced the transition to adulthood during the late 1980's and the early 1990's and have just completed their fertility histories. We looked for differences between life trajectories in terms of educational, professional and conjugal careers. Our results show how various life careers crisscross over the life course resulting in the decision to postpone childbirth.