Hello all,

Greetings. I am curious about what's your guess about the average age of first time parents for people who have graduate degrees? I know the national average is something like 27-29, I think the average for people with advanced degrees must be higher?

I am just thinking that the combination of a masters and Phd is taking too long. By the time you graduate, you are around 31 (plus or minus a few years).
I am just wondering when do people with phds have children? especially for female phd students?

Best regards,
Carol

I'm about to finish my PhD and I'm 25. Is 31 the average internationally or in the UK? Most people I know are younger than that (although I'm probably at the younger end of the spectrum). I haven't really thought about having kids: definitely won't for at least the next five years. I know of people who've had babies before, during, and after, and it all worked out fine!

The average completion time in the UK is 27 year's old (which contrasts greatly with most other countries). I find science PhDs complete a lot earlier than humanities/soc science/law PhD students....normally because the former have a more structured PhD experience and more commonly achieve immediate entry to a PhD course from undergraduate study (obviously this isn't the experience of everyone).

If there was an average for just humanities/soc sciences/law/business, I would hazard a guess that completion is more round the late 20s/early30s mark. In my field, I know of no one who got their PhD under the age of 27. So an awful lot depends on your particular discipline.

With respect to children, most professional women have kids in their 30s now, so I don't why PhD completion age should cause much of a problem. I know a few women who have had children before embarking on their PhDs and then made good use of the childcare facilities offered at the university (although I walked passed UCL's nursery the other day, and I wouldn't leave a young child there!), and then many who are putting children off til mid/late 30s as they want to establish a career. As long as you don't have a child mid-way through the PhD...it's not problematic.

Thanks. I am doing my PhD in Canada, which is the probably the "worst" country to do a phd in, in terms of time to completion. We have to do a MSC before entering a PHD. It larges depends on your discipline. In my discipline, it takes an average of 2 years to do a MSC, and another average of 6 years to do a PhD. so when you are done your phd, most people are around 30. And have not made any income. I almost think this is "wrong" to have graduate programs that drag on for so long. Also this is not fair compared to international standards. In the states, most people can skip a masters. In Europe, the master + PhD probably take 4 years. Am I wrong here?

Many people are saying in the middle of a PhD is the best time to have a baby. Most people are 25-30 when they do their phds. Anyway, I am 30 years old now, and I am planning to graduate next year. It's just that from time to time I feel like having a baby. I was wondering if other people may feel this way too. But I forgot the fact that many people are done with their phds earlier. :-)

it depends on where in europe you're talking about. students start and finish studying early in england, earlier than in germany for example. in germany, you would normally get your a-levels at the age of 19-20, then (old system) another 5 years or more till you have a master. then add on a whole load more years for a phd (usually at least 5 years). i don't know anyone who completed their phd before they were at least 30. because of lack of funding people tend to be a lot older than that.

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I finished mine at 25 and am in the UK - I think it depends if you do a Masters degree inbetween as well as if you take a gap year and go straight through etc...

I don't plan to ever have children so I guess my age of graduation doesn't matter - one thing that has always puzzled me though (and this isn't a criticism, just a personal observation) if you go to Uni for 6 years minimum.. surely it would be nice to put those degrees to use for a few years before having children, unless your partner is willing to be a stay at home Father?

In Switzerland, the average age of women at the time of the birth of their first child has just reached 30. I suppose that the average age of academics (let's say, all women who have a degree) when they have a first child, is even higher. Obviously this is problematic, as fertility drops with age. It is thus perhaps no surprise that in Switzerland, 40% of academic women never have a child. (On the other hand, that means that more than half do have a child. When I tell that to academic friends, they are usually very surprised - they would have guessed much less.)

As Swantje described it for Germany: It's the same in Switzerland. Perhaps it is not the long time it takes to reach a PhD that is exceptional, but rather the relatively short time experienced in the UK and US.
On the other hand, in Switzerland (and in Germany too, I believe) you get paid to do your PhD (in most cases), and you don't pay any fees. So that sounds as if it were worse in Canada.

I'm 32 now, in my second year of a UK PhD, and planning on having a baby soon (as soon as I finish my fieldwork). This issue has been discussed several times in the past on this forum, perhaps you want to run a search?

I will have finished (undergraduate, masters and PhD) when I am 25. I thought it best to go straight through the education system and then concentrate on employment as I have been lucky enough to get scholarships for both my MSc and PhD.

Are u from china or sort of communist country. Don't be 'sexism' on phd female. that's depends on one economic, social and religious background. I'm not agree what u say. Lot of female acadmic are bore at least one child in this country. I had a Malaysian Phd Pharmacies had six grown up adults. How can u tell. This is Christian countries. Marriage is important in God's view. Not everyone is the same after phd life. My friend divorce and gone wrong moral way. Qualification meaning what??? Don;t get it yet. there are teaching staff had marriage and children first and start their phd. Some academic people feel family is very important to them either.

Free Education for All universal theme. Don't be too bias on everything. How many academic staffs got murdered in communist /terrorist countries. Have u dare to done this research.?? how to prevent this.. etc etc....