Harry and commenters at CT are discussing the latest study that found that delaying childbirth by one year, from age 24 to 25, can increase a mother’s future earnings by 10%.
Linda Hirshman reappears in Inside Higher Ed. (via Phantom Scribbler) I haven’t commented yet. Not sure if it is worth it.
Apt. 11d 
Yes, sure, but if she waits ten years she can blow the whole of her savings and extra income on a fertility center, and with no certainty of success.
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And even if fertility isn’t a problem – you still have to deal with being in your 40’s with young kids. Sometimes I think I could have dealt with sleep deprivation and the many other stresses of dealing with kids a bit better if I were in my 20’s.
The only thing worth reading in the HigherEd article is Hirshman’s little jab at internet rudeness & female drop-outs from academia, LOL.
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If you look at the study carefully, you’ll discover it finds that once women hit thirty, the economic advantage of waiting vanishes. I wish more people writing about this study would point this out. I, like Sandy, am in my forties with two small children. I wish I had started earlier. I cannot even begin to describe the fatigue I feel on a daily basis.
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Great comment over at Inside Higher Ed, Laura.
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Hey, Laura — check out the drama (I think) section of the new New Yorker for an odd nanny/SAHM/pop culture convergance 😉
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yay. thanks for the tip, ADM.
re: waiting until you’re 40. OK, you want to feel better? Down the block is a woman, now in her early 50s, who has 1 nine year old and 4 seven year olds. She’s a strong, strong woman.
I haven’t read the whole study yet. I don’t think that the author was suggesting putting off kids until your 40s, but just isolating the difference one year can make. She also had some niffy methodology for her study.
In general, I think that all this baby planning stuff is a little silly. Most people aren’t that organized. Also, there is no perfect time to have a baby and keep the career. It’s always going to be tough. I say have the kid when you’re ready and then figure out the job stuff later.
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