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Parental age and offspring mortality: Negative effects of reproductive ageing may be counterbalanced by secular increases in longevity

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  • Kieron Barclay
  • Mikko Myrskylä

Abstract

As parental ages at birth continue to rise, concerns about the effects of fertility postponement on offspring are increasing. Due to reproductive ageing, advanced parental ages have been associated with negative health outcomes for offspring, including decreased longevity. The literature, however, has neglected to examine the potential benefits of being born at a later date. Secular declines in mortality mean that later birth cohorts are living longer. We analyse mortality over ages 30–74 among 1.9 million Swedish men and women born 1938–60, and use a sibling comparison design that accounts for all time-invariant factors shared by the siblings. When incorporating cohort improvements in mortality, we find that those born to older mothers do not suffer any significant mortality disadvantage, and that those born to older fathers have lower mortality. These findings are likely to be explained by secular declines in mortality counterbalancing the negative effects of reproductive ageing.

Suggested Citation

  • Kieron Barclay & Mikko Myrskylä, 2018. "Parental age and offspring mortality: Negative effects of reproductive ageing may be counterbalanced by secular increases in longevity," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(2), pages 157-173, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rpstxx:v:72:y:2018:i:2:p:157-173
    DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2017.1411969
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    Cited by:

    1. Anna Baranowska-Rataj & Kieron J. Barclay & Joan Costa-i-Font & Mikko Myrskylä & Berkay Özcan, 2019. "Preterm births and educational disadvantage: heterogeneous effects across families and schools," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2019-016, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.

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