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home / 世界杯决赛2022

juhl: what is the government telling you about your biological clock?

while older mothers might be more socially and financially stable, policy texts focus on the risky business of pregnancy over a certain age.

by hayley juhl
published jul 20, 2022
read time 3 minute read
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read time 3 minute read
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it can feel like scarlet letters across your chest: ama. advanced maternal age. or the archaic phrase “geriatric pregnancy.” that’s a lot of weight for women over 35 to carry.
around 40 per cent of canadians who gave birth in 2020 were under 30. nearly 37 per cent were between 30 and 34. that leaves a good chunk of people falling into the ama category.
while they might go into the parenting adventure more socially and financially stable, policy texts tend to focus on the risky business of pregnancy over a certain age. that’s the finding of a recent study by concordia political science professor francesca scala and the university of ottawa’s michael orsini. they analyzed english policy documents, government programs and websites, guidelines overseeing medical bodies, quasi-governmental bodies and such things as statements by health ministers between 1993 and 2020 that used phrases like advanced maternal age, delayed child-bearing, older mothers and infertility.
“there was a lot of anxiety surrounding the potential risks for the offspring in terms of being born with a disability, health and medical risks,” scala said. the study does not deny that age is a factor in health complications for pregnant people and children. yet there appear to be value judgments baked into the texts — a sometimes quiet emphasis on social risk.
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“they’re valid concerns, we should have a discussion about that, but we don’t have those kinds of discussions around paternal age,” which studies have linked to autism and such neurological disorders as schizophrenia, scala said. beyond the broader social and economic forces, the conversation must shift to policies and programs that benefit individuals: encouraging work-life balance, accessible child care, equitable career trajectories, support for women at a time that is ideal for them.
scala believes the focus should be on individuals and the broader context of demands that are made of them. the societal message is that they should wait to have children till they have financial security. till they’re in a stable relationship. till they can access affordable daycare. and they are told not to wait because … tick-tock-tick-tock.
if they wait too long and there are complications, “it responsibilizes them,” scala said.
while access to fertility treatments is often broader in countries with privatized care, some canadian provinces do not offer provincial tax credits for fertility treatments for women over 42. if donated eggs are needed, that’s a scarce resource; a royal commission in 1993 made it clear it was preferable for younger women to have access to donated eggs at a time when they would naturally be seeking pregnancy, rather than women in their late 30s and 40s, when the success rate might not be as high. it can appear as though potential parenthood comes down to a cost-benefit analysis.
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scala said the language is changing, but a balance has yet to be reached. studies show benefits to later motherhood include more patient parenting and children with stronger language skills and academic performance.
finding the sweet spot is an intensely personal decision wrapped up in the idea of “intensive mothering,” in which being a mother is an all-consuming and all-encompassing role, where one parent is the primary or sole caretaker. what if a child has a mother who looks more like a grandmother? what if she can’t keep up with the daily demands of mothering?
“there is some really interesting research on women who have their second children at a later age and the things we do to be perceived as more useful: dressing a certain way, dyeing our hair, making sure we’re going to the gym so we don’t look like our mothers or grandmothers,” scala said. “we want to portray ourselves as younger so we’re not ostracized. we want our kids to be proud of the way we look. we’re still cool and hip and happening and youngish.”
scala would like to see more mindfulness when discussing delayed childbearing, that fertility issues not be tied to “bad choices” and that support for women is available at their best time — “at a time that is ideal for them.”
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“we have to recognize the biomedical risks, but also not put them in a category where their reproductive choices are risky just based on their age,” scala said. “you can be a younger woman but also have underlying medical conditions. age isn’t the sole factor that determines whether a woman is a risky maternal subject.”
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correction: an earlier version of this story said some provinces do not provide access to fertility treatments to women over 42. those women will have access, but are not eligible for some tax credits. the montreal gazette regrets the error.
hayley juhl, montreal gazette
hayley juhl, montreal gazette

i’m a queer mom who has been walking the various halls of the montreal gazette since 1989. i write feminist and parent-positive columns and, as a copy editor, am vigilant about inclusive language and sourcing. i believe true change starts with children and continues with lifelong learning.

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