Diverging from the normative reproductive life course : a qualitative approach to family building at advanced parental age

Over the past few decades, the average age at which individuals have children has risen in most industrialised countries, with a growing number of both men and women becoming parents in their 40s. This trend has sparked concerns about potential health risks and the psychosocial well-being of children born to advanced age parents. This dissertation is part of a broader research project examining family building at advanced parental age (APA) in Switzerland and Belgium. Following age categories commonly used in academic literature and recent demographic reports, APA is defined in this research project as 40 years of age or older. Guided by an empirical ethics framework, this dissertation sought to deepen our understanding of the experiences and decision-making processes of individuals involved in reproduction and family building at an advanced age. It explored the meanings these individuals ascribe to age and their moral views on responsible reproduction and parenting. To achieve this, the research employed a qualitative approach, including one explorative study based on online data and three interview-based studies. The dissertation focussed on three key groups: (i) young adults with at least one advanced age parent, (ii) women who had one or more children and, at least 10 years later, had another (or multiple) child(ren) at the age of 40 or older (referred to as renewed advanced age mothers), and (iii) women who had an abortion for non-medical reasons at the age of 40 or older. The inclusion of the third group provides insight into the motivations and decision-making of individuals who chose not to pursue parenthood at an advanced age. The dissertation begins with an introductory chapter that reviews the academic debate on APA and existing qualitative research on the topic. The next two chapters present the theoretical background – drawing from empirical ethics, social constructionism, and the life course perspective – and outline the research methods, including reflexive thematic analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis. Chapter four through seven detail the design, methods, and findings of the four qualitative studies. In chapter eight, key findings of the empirical research are connected to the dissertation’s theoretical background, accompanied by a critical reflection on social norms and judgements relating to reproduction and parenthood at an advanced age. The chapter concludes with a discussion of methodological considerations related to the research process.