The Age That Women Have Babies: How a Gap Divides America
I attended college part-time and intermittently while my kids were somewhat young. My first full-time job at age 41 was a corporate job that paid above minimum wage. (I have been told that expecting better than minimum wage when starting work so late in life is crazy talk. So I think I did well.)<p>I think the US desperately needs a &quot;mommy track&quot; for college that encourages women with young kids to go to school part-time and take 6 to 8 years to complete their degree. I think this would solve a lot of problems.<p>Waiting too long to have kids can involve problems for both mother and child. (Among other things) An older mom can require fertility treatments to get pregnant at all and there is higher risk of certain birth defects in the child.<p>Historically, we resolved these conflicts by having women have babies young, but with a financially established husband who was typically older. Now, that is decried as evil patriarchy.<p>I&#x27;m well aware of the downside of having kids young and being a homemaker a long time. I&#x27;m divorced after having been a homemaker and full-time mom for a lot of years. But my problems were compounded by various factors.<p>I&#x27;m quite confident that one of the smartest things I did was go to school when I could. I have thought for years that we should foster young moms pursuing their education. But I have no idea at all how to start such a movement, for lack of a better word.