Having Children Later in Life | Writing for Academic IELTS PDF Download

This is an essay on having children later in life. It is on causes (or 'reasons') and effects. You have to explain why men and women are deciding to have children later on in their life, and then explain how this can impacts those families and society. You should spend at least a few minutes doing this at the start of the test before you start to brainstorm your ideas and write.

This is the question:

Q. Many men and women are making the decision to have children later in life. Why is this trend occurring? What are the impacts of this development on both family and society?

Hint:

• This is what you must cover in your essay:
  • Why families may be delaying childbirth
  • How his can impact families
  • How it can impact society
• There are several ways that you could organise your essay but you want to make sure it is logical and that you write enough on each task.
• You could write one paragraph on the causes and another on the impacts. Or you could write one paragraph on each task - one for the causes, one for the impacts on families, and one for the impact on society.

Sample Answer

• In the past, it was a natural step that a couple would get married fairly young, and then start a family. However, this is no longer the case and the delaying of childbirth is becoming very common. This essay will consider the reasons for this trend and the possible effects on families and society.
• The driving force behind this trend is changing employment patterns. As more women have pursued an education and entered the workforce, they tend to marry later and have children later in their life. This is unavoidable in many cases because women cannot combine family and work well due to costly childcare. Another factor is all the other opportunities available to everyone. For example, many men and women choose to travel around the world or take the chance to work in another country, thus delaying settling down.
• There are a number of possible impacts on families and society. Firstly, with regards to families, it can be more difficult for older women to get pregnant and they may experience more health problems, such as a miscarriage, high blood pressure or diabetes, during pregnancy. Also, the parents may find the whole experience of bringing up children more tiring if they are older. In one respect it may be positive for society because if people are choosing to work for longer, a country will have a productive workforce. On the negative side though, in the long-term falling fertility rates will mean an aging population with a lack of young people to work and take care of the elderly.
• In conclusion, there are several reasons that people are having children later in life, and this can have a number of impacts, both positive and negative. Given the fact that society continues to change, this trend is likely to continue well into the future.