Later First Births in Two Generations Push Grandmotherhood Back 13 Years
Dora Costa, an economic historian at UCLA, argues that later first births in two generations have pushed the median age at first grandmotherhood from 43.6 under 1960 birth schedules to 56.9 under 2024 schedules. The delay has shortened the estimated years women spend in good health alongside grandchildren, with the largest gaps among college-educated women. Costa’s analysis also finds that family care, rather than bargaining over when a daughter has her first child, is the more consequential point of tension.
Hoover Institution·Nov 5, 2026·15 min read
