In a surprising trend, highly educated women—those with advanced degrees—are choosing to have larger families, despite a general decline in birth rates among millennials. A recent analysis from Pew Research Center reveals that while overall birth rates in the U.S. are falling, educated women are actually embracing motherhood more than in the past.
Over the last two decades, the percentage of women aged 40-44 with a master’s degree or higher who remain childless has noticeably decreased. In 1994, about 30% of these women had no children; now, that number has dropped to 22%. The decrease is even more pronounced among women holding MDs or PhDs, with only 20% childless today compared to 35% in the past.
Moreover, educated women are opting for bigger families overall. Currently, 60% of women with advanced degrees have two or more children, up from 51% in 1994. While traditional Census data suggests that women without children by age 40 are less likely to have them later, this trend is changing. As more women step into managerial and leadership roles, they are successfully navigating the balance between work and family life.
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In summary, highly educated women are defying trends by choosing to have more children, signaling a shift in societal norms about motherhood and career.
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