Anecdata

[flea]

I was the first person I knew from college to get married, I think (at age 25) - even though a couple of women I knew in college eventually married their college-era partners.  I was also the first person I knew from college to have a child (at a week shy of 31).  I have several high school and college friends and acquaintances who are having babies now - in the 37-40 age bracket - in many cases, a first child.  So I got curious as to how unusual I was for my demographic - I went to a seven sisters college, graduating in 1994.

My class:
L, G, L, L, M, B, ML, E, A, me
Married: 9 of 10 (two to each other)
Have children: 5 of 10 (one other is actively trying)
Age at birth of first child: 30 (me), 32, 35, 37, 38

Class above me:
G, K, A, JJ, R, L, H
Married: 4 of 7
Have children: 3, one is pregnant with first child (estimated based on kid age)
Age at birth of first child: 31, 35, 36, 39

Class below me:
S, S, E, L
Married: 1 (1 other is in a long-term cohabiting relationship but not married) of 4
Have children: 1
Age at birth of first child: 37

Yeah, I guess I'm unusual.  The funny thing is, I was not particularly interested in being married or having children when I was in college; I had no serious relationships in high school or college, and was pretty indifferent to the idea of children.  I certainly did not automatically expect to have a domestic future.

Comments

[kate_nepveu]

And yet you were probably over the overall average age, as when I married at just shy of 25 in 2002, I remember being surprised that I was at the average age for women.

[veejane]

Among my circle of friends (8 or 9), one married before graduation, another within the year, and at least two more before 27 and another before 30. Of those, I know 3 have had kids, the first born before the mother was 25, and the second (twins!) born... hm, she must have been 25 or 26. (I've lost touch with most of them, so don't know for sure.)

So it's possible you just have an odd sample (or I do).

[sara]

I married (and got my M.A.) at 21, had children starting at 25, and have had an awful lot of hideous things said to me, over the years, about what a freak and a failure I was to do either in my twenties.

That said, the women who were most callous to me...are now struggling with infertility. Which is horrible to cope with, and is why I got pregnant when I did. So I think they're a little more appreciative of my thinking, now, than they were when we were younger.

Doesn't mean I'm ever going to be able to forgive some of the things that were said, of course.