HC Deb 11 May 2004 vol 421 cc273-4W
Mr. David Willetts

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mothers in each cohort since 1945 have had three or more children. [171601]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Willetts, dated 11 May 2004:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for the number of mothers in each cohort since 1945 who have had three or more children. (171601)

Statistics on women by the number of children they have given birth to are not readily available. However, estimates can be produced using information from birth registrations and the General Household Survey, together with estimates of the population by age and sex. This exercise is only carried out for England and Wales.

Summaries of these estimates are regularly published in the annual reference volume "Birth statistics (FM1)", but are normally presented in terms of proportions of women rather than numbers of women. However, I have supplied both the estimated numbers and proportions in the attached table.

Cohorts of women born from 1958 onwards have yet to complete their childbearing. As each more recent annual cohort of women have successively more of their childbearing life remaining there are, therefore, successively fewer women who have had three or more children.

Estimated number and percentage of women by year of

birth who have had three or more children, based on

births to 2002, England and Wales

Thousand, per cent.
Women born in year shown
Year1,2,4 Number with three or

more children2,4

Precentage with three or more children3,5

Estimated number and percentage of women by year of

birth who have had three or more children, based on

births to 2002, England and Wales

Thousand, per cent.
Women born in year shown
Year1,2,4 Number with three or

more children2,4

Percentage with three

or more children3,5

Women who have completed their, fertility
1945 107 33
1946 107 33
1947 126 30
1948 118 31
1949 108 30
1950 104 30
1951 99 30
1952 98 30
1953 100 30
1954 100 30
1955 100 30
1956 102 30
1957 107 30
Women who have not yet completed their, fertility
1958 109 30
1959 109 30
1960 112 30
1961 114 29
1962 114 28
1963 112 27
1964 109 26
1965 104 25
1966 99 23
1967 92 22
1968 83 20
1969 74 18
1970 63 16
1971 56 14
1972 46 12
1973 37 10
1974 29 8
1975 22 7
1976 16 5
1977 11 4
1978 8 3
1979 6 2
1980 3 1
1981 2 1
1982 1 0
1983 0 0
1984 0 0
1985 0 0
1986 0 0
1987 0 0
1988 0 0
1The years of birth shown are by necessity approximate, since births pre 1963 are available only by calendar year of occurrence and age of mother at childbirth. For instance, women aged 32 giving birth to children in 2002 could have been born in either 1969 or 1970; for convenience, however, such women are here regarded as belonging to the 1970, cohort.
2Women who have completed their fertility to age 45, population shown at age 45.
3Percentage of women of all parities in given cohort at age 45.
4Women who have not yet completed their fertility (have not reached age 45) The populations shown are at age they have completed by 2002, for example the 1970 cohort is at age 32.
5 percentage of women of all parities in given cohort at age reached in 2002.
Source:
Office for National Statistics