IELTS Writing: Having babies at an older age

Nowadays men and women in many countries decide to have babies at an older age. What are the reasons? What effects does this trend have on society and family life?

Nowadays, it seems to be an increasingly widespread problem that couples in many countries tend to delay becoming parents. And I think that their career plans and their financial situation are responsible for this phenomenon.

In the past, people got married at their early age, and consequently had babies soon. This is no longer the case. Due to the fact that having babies could affect their career development, now couples may choose career over parenthood. Therefore, less and less couples could give up their promising jobs for the sake of giving the babies full attention and care.

Another important factor contributing to this issue is that some couples suffer from severe financial condition so they have to wait until they can confidently afford the expenses. When living in a dissatisfying accommodation and struggling with food, a couple can not convince themselves to have their babies experience the same situation with them.

If this trend spreads to a wide range of society, a direct effect would be seen in the increase of the ageing population. As a result, the social care system may undergo tremendous pressure that forces the government to spend more money on the system, while other issues like national defence, may be postponed to tackle.

As for the family, on the other side, while the older parents might be benefited from lower pressure as they have stepped into a stable stage of their careers or they have survived financial crisis, the generation gap could be widened if the couples decide to have children in their late adulthood. Consequently the communication problems can grow bigger as the children grow older.

270 words