Delayed parenthood: An exploratory study of family functioning

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the lives of families who delayed parenthood. Sixty-nine families who had their first child after the age of 35 completed standardized instruments that assessed marital satisfaction, parental stress, and family functioning. Some differences were found both between the scores of delayed parents and the nonclinical normative scores and between men and women within a group of delayed parents. The findings of the present study suggest that families who delayed parenthood are more similar than different from other families and that within a group of delayed parents mothers are more alike than different from fathers.