Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
I'm Neil. And I'm Beth.
Women today are having fewer babies, more women are delaying having children until their 40s – the period of ten years in life between 40 and 49.
And some women are giving birth in their 50s, their 60s, even their 70s.
There are many reasons behind the trend for older mums, including better access to education and careers.
But there are also health risks to having children later in life, so in this programme we'll be asking when are you too old to have a baby?
And, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
But first, I have a question for you, Neil.
In 2019 Mangeyama Yaramati gave birth to twins in the state of Andhra Pradesh, South India.
But these were no ordinary twins because Mangeyama was the oldest recorded woman ever to give birth.
So, how old was the oldest -ever mum when she gave birth?
Was she a. 53 years old, b.
63 years old, Or c.
seventy -three years old?
Hmm. I'm going to guess sixty -three.
OK, Neil. We'll find out the correct answer at the end of the programme.
Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London, Joyce Harper, has been studying the trend of women choosing to have babies later in life.
Here she shares her discoveries with BBC World Service programme Global Story.
Ten, twenty, thirty years ago, women were having children at a much younger age.
Now it's become quite normal for women in their thirties as we see with the world data, there's many countries where women have their first birth over the age of thirty.
But this is quite a new phenomena that's why this term geriatric mother unfortunately still lingers.
Professor Harper uses the word phenomena to describe the trend for older mothers.
Phenomena are unusual or significant facts and events that exist and are talked about.
People often get this wrong, but the plural form is phenomena and the singular is phenomenon.
The concept of older mothers is still quite a new phenomenon and attitudes towards them are changing.
Mothers over the age of 35 used to be called geriatric, a word many found offensive.
Fortunately, this term is no longer used, but social disapproval of older mothers still lingers.
If something lingers, it continues to exist longer than usual or expected.
Yes, in some cultures, older mothers are still disapproved of.
But wait a minute, Neil, it takes two to make a baby.
What's the man's role in all of this?
Well, unlike women, whose ability to naturally get pregnant declines sharply in their forties, men's fertility lasted longer.
Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger famously had his 8th child with his 29 -year -old partner at the age of 73.
So are older fathers more socially acceptable than older mothers?
Yes, thinks Professor Harper, as she explained to BBC World Service's Global Story.
We do have a bit of a gender problem, because if this was a man in his 60s, 70s and even and he's fathered a child, most people would pat him on the back.
But they probably pat him on the back because he's absolutely got a much younger partner.
But if we've got a woman in her 60s, 70s, or got a bit 80s having a child, then it does have a sort of shock reaction and makes people feel uncomfortable.
Professor Harper thinks that society is more accepting of older fathers than older mothers.
A 70 -year -old man can still father a child.
He could make a woman pregnant who then gives birth.
And most people would pat him on the back, an idiom meaning give someone praise or congratulations.
On the other hand, says Professor Harper, God forbid, a woman having a baby in her eighties.
Here, the phrase God forbid is used as a way of saying you hope something will not happen.
There's another side to this story, though.
In the West, young women from Gen Z – the generation born since the year 2000 – are saying they won't have children at all.
In more traditional countries, meanwhile, a woman's role is as a mother.
And many pray to God to be blessed with a child.
Which is exactly what happened to Mangayama Yaramati – the South Indian woman I asked you about in my question, Neil.
In 2019 she became the oldest recorded woman ever to give birth.
Right. And I guessed she was 63 years old at the time...
...which was the wrong answer, I'm afraid.
In fact, she was even older – 73!
OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt in this programme, starting with the phrase your forties' which describes the period of ten years in someone's life when they're aged between 40 and 49.
Phenomena describes any significant facts or events that we know exist and can be observed and discussed.
If something lingers, it continues to exist longer than usual or expected.
The verb to father means to make a woman pregnant who then gives birth to a child.
The idiom, pat someone on the back is used to describe giving someone praise, congratulations or encouragement.
And finally, the expression, God forbid, is a way of saying that you hope something will not happen.
Once again, our six minutes are up, but don't forget to join us again soon for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.
Goodbye for now. Bye.
