Social support and women who give birth after age forty: A phenomenological study

Over the past several years, the number of women deciding to have children later in life has steadily increased. The majority of research on delayed parenthood focuses on the disadvantages, such as health risks, associated with having children at an older age. There is a limited amount of research, however, that has extensively studied other facets of delayed parenting, such as the experience of social-emotional support and societal attitudes toward women who delay parenthood. Therefore, it is unclear whether women in their forties experience pregnancy and child-rearing in the same way that women having children earlier in life do. This qualitative study takes an in-depth look at the social and emotional types of support available to pregnant mothers in their forties and will illustrate the effects of such support on forty-something mothers. It was hypothesized that older mothers may not have the same supportive resources available to them that younger mothers have. Five women, ranging in age from 41 to 44, volunteered for this study. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview format followed by a content analysis of the women's reports of their experiences as a new mother in her forties. This dissertation culminates with a summary discussion of the findings as they relate to the literature. In addition, implications of the findings are discussed following by the limitations and areas for future study.