“Late births” – when there is a large intergenerational gap between children and parents (selected demographical as well as psychological and pedagogical aspects)

The study, whose results are presented in the article, was aimed at identifying the structure of the phenomenon so-called late births, which takes place when both parents, at the time of the child’s birth, exceeded the age determining the beginning of – in the case of women – “late motherhood”, and in the case of men – “late fatherhood”. In order to know this issue, the data contained in the Demographic Yearbook (for years 2014–2018) was analyzed. The focus was also on understanding the causes of late births phenomenon and its consequences for the child. For this purpose, an analysis of the content of discussions on four Internet forums (active from 2009–2018) and comments posted on the article on the Internet regarding late motherhood was carried out. It was found out that in the years 2014–2018 the number of late births and their share in the total number of births increased (from 5.27% to 6.72%). Increases in the numbers of late births were noted for each of the fi ve-year age group, particularly clearly in the confi guration: father aged 40–44 and mother 45 and older. The following were recognized as the causes of the phenomenon of late births: postponing the implementation of reproductive plans, conception of a child, hoping that the child will be the guardian of aging parents, long period between attempts to conceive a child and pregnancy. Furthermore, it has also been found that Internet users see more restrictions than advantages of being a child born in the later years of parents’ life.