49. Fruktbarhet blant norske kvinner: Resultater fra ... - SSB

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If not otherwise specified, the word birth is used synonymously
with live birth. As expected, we got lower response rates among women
who had not given birth than among women with children. In the total sample,
32 per cent had not had any children, whereas this was the case for 29 per
cent among the respondents.
The presentation in chapter 5 is particularly focused on the fertility
pattern for different groups of women. As far as the data allows,
we have also paid attention to changes in the fertility pattern from the
beginning of the 1950s, when the oldest women in our sample had their
first births, to the latter half of the 1970s.
Approximately 1/4 of the women had had their first birth before
the age of 21. The median age (the age at which exactly 50 per cent of
the women had had their first child) is between 22 and 23 years. As far as
our observations go, it seems that the different cohorts of women had
their first child at approximately the same age. Even the youngest women
(18-24 years) seem for the time being to follow the same pattern as the
preceding cohorts. It is nevertheless too early to tell whether or not women
born 1953 - 1959 will follow the same pattern as women born in 1933 -
1952 in the later part of their reproductive period.
We also find a very low number of women going through their fertile
period without giving any births. Among the oldest (35-44 years) it
was only 7 per cent who had never given birth, and among women 30-34 years
at the time of the interview, only 11 per cent had never had any children.
The figures relate to all women in the group, irrespective of coital experience,
cohabitational history or fecundity. Even if we take into account
the underrepresentation of childless women among the respondents, it thus
appears that an overwhelming majority of the women have at least one birth
during their fertile period.
Age at first birth is different for women growing up in different
parts of the country. Women grown up in Northern Norway have a median age
at first birth of 21.6 years, while women from Middle Norway (TrOndelag)
have a median age of 22.3 years. Women, who came from Eastern or Southern/
Western Norway, are 23 and 23.3 years before 50 per cent of them have had
their first birth. These differences are in accordance with the results
from previous studies of regional fertility.
As expected, there are significant differences in age at first
birth between educational groups. Whether we look at general education
or at total education, including both general and vocational education,
we find that the higher education a women has, the later does she start