Childlessness trends at different ages by educational attainment for men and women in Finland

A research note

Bibliographic Data

ID9229511
AuthorsMarika Jalovaara (0000-0003-1501-7078, University of Turku), Anneli Miettinen (0000-0001-7581-4971, Social Insurance Institution of Finland)
Year2025
Pages1-10
Publication date2025-12-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePopulation Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-4728 • E-ISSN: 1477-4747
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00324728.2025.2592578
PMID41416459
OpenAlexW4417494792
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited26

Research on childlessness by educational attainment typically focuses on lifetime childlessness at age 40 or 45, with less known about younger ages. This study examines trends in childlessness by age and education for men and women in Finland from 1987 to 2022, using total population register data. We focus on childlessness at ages 30, 35, 40, and 45. The results show that childlessness has increased at most ages, with acceleration in the past decade. At ages 40 and 45, the association between education and childlessness is negative for men-men with lower education are more often childless-while among women, the association has reversed from positive to negative in recent years. At age 30, childlessness is higher among the highly educated, reflecting later entry into parenthood. At age 35, childlessness has risen across all groups, notably including tertiary-educated men and women. These trends suggest that the increase in lifetime childlessness in Finland is likely to continue and become more widespread

Association (psychology) · Childlessness · Developed country · Educational attainment · Fertility · Population · Early Childhood Education and Development · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Family Support in Illness