As more women skip having children in their early or mid-20s to either focus on their job, education or themselves, the decision to delay may ultimately see them struggle to re-enter the workforce if they eventually have kids.
That’s one observation put forth in a new report from TD Economics on Friday, which has detected a pronounced fall in the number of women participating in the labour force this year, particularly among “core” working-age females.
“The trend toward child birth later in life may be affecting participation rates, as women in later life-stages face less incentive to return to work following a birth,” the report said.
There are other factors the report notes, like the steady influx of immigrant women to Canada, some of whom don’t take up work at all for a variety of reasons.
There was also a slowdown in “female-dominated” fields in 2013 that has yet to reverse itself. Education, health care, retail and public administration fields saw employment fall last year, the report said.
Some roll-off in the number of women in the workforce in general is also to be expected as greater numbers of boomers retire.
Drop in ‘core’ workers
But the drop off of women either working or looking for work is particularly noticeable among those ages 40 to 49, TD said — ages when women who have elected to have children at a later “life stage,” like their mid-30s, may be rearing young kids.
“The decline in core working-age women is striking,” said Brian DePratto, economist at TD and author of the report.
The average age a Canadian women has a child is now 29.6 years old, as births per thousand have risen “markedly” among women in age cohorts 30-to-34 and 35-to-39, DePratto said.
Putting off children also means savings can accumulate or partners will have higher paying jobs, creating greater financial certainty and less incentive to jump back into a workaday routine and lifestyle.
“Women may be choosing to delay their return to the labour force following child birth,” the economist said, “which is now occurring later in life.”
Some may not go back at all, he sad.
DePratto cautioned against foisting the weight of the decline in the number of women who are working or looking for work this year just on one trend. Immigration patterns and the business cycle for some fields are certainly playing a role, too.
Moreover, female participation rates are higher now than in the 1990s and early 2000s, “so a recovery could unfold.”
WATCH: Canada added a whopping 74,000 jobs in September.
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