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“Studies show that older women are often better prepared to have children,” notes Professor Francesca Scala of Concordia University’s Department of Political Science.
Article author:
La Presse Canadienne
Clara Deskerninges
A doctor performs an ultrasound scan on a pregnant woman at a hospital in Chicago, August. 7, 2018. Photo by Teresa Crawford/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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As more and more Canadians choose to have children later in life, a recent study shows that pregnancy at age 35 and older tends to be stigmatized by medical recommendations and public policies.
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“There is a lot of emphasis on biomedical risks,” explains Francesca Scala, professor of political science at Concordia University and co-author of the study.
Some risk factors may increase with age. The Public Health Agency of Canada cites “preterm birth, low birth weight, miscarriage, placenta previa, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery” as problems that may become more common.
But while acknowledging that these are “valid concerns” and mothers-to-be should be well-informed before making decisions, Scala stresses that such an emphasis can paint older mothers as “at risk” or “abnormal” or “irresponsible reproductive citizens”.
For example, PHAC wrote in a 2008 paper that the trend to delay pregnancies until later in life is “of enormous clinical and societal concern.”
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In Quebec, as of November 2021, IVF costs are covered only for women under 42 because of the lower chance of pregnancy, which declines rapidly around that age.
And even if various organizations take great care not to impose any moral judgment on the value of a person’s life with a disability, much emphasis is placed on the likelihood of an elderly mother giving birth to a child with a disability, Scala said.
“There’s this idea that women are solely responsible for children … that motherhood consumes their whole lives.” Women who are older, who have gray hair, are not seen as ‘ideal mothers’.
She cites one of the cited studies on IVF recommendations produced by the Canadian Medical Association in 2015. While the text says that preventing women from accessing these services would be unethical, it adds that “older women have a higher risk of complications that could endanger the safety of the offspring, as well as psychological or social discomfort that the child could experience if the mother is old enough to be a grandmother.
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Scala says he thinks ageism “has a role in it.”
She notes that “studies show that older women are often better equipped to have children. They have the financial resources to care for their offspring and have a stable relationship.
“Recent studies also show that older motherhood is associated with long-term benefits for children, such as better language skills and better academic achievement.”
But without bad intentions, personal aspirations and motherhood are often presented as opposition, she said. For example, a guideline published by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada in 2011 explained that because of the mistaken belief that assisted reproduction always works, “unfortunately, this can give women a false sense of optimism that they can delay pregnancy while they pursue their education and careers.’
The guide has since been withdrawn from society.
“On the one hand, women are encouraged to have a career, to be self-sufficient and to have a stable relationship, but on the other hand, we warn them that their biological clock is ticking,” Scala says.
The study, titled “Questioning Older Motherhood in Canada: Ageism, Ability, and Risk Matter,” was published in March by the journal Health, Risk & Society. It examines about 20 publications from health associations and governments from 1993 to 2021.
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