Until 2007, most dads were aged 20-24. Since then, the 30-34 age group has grown the most, and the number of young men under 24 becoming fathers has caught up with men ages 35-39, INS data shows.

About 80,000 babies were born in the first 7 months of this year, compared to 100,000 in the first 7 months of 2022, according to data released Monday.

Not only women delay the age of the mother, but also the father. For women, the age at first childbirth rose from just over 22 years to 27.5 years, according to INS data.

According to a study published in the journal Human Reproduction, the average age of fathers has also increased worldwide by three and a half years over the past four decades.

Many studies have examined the increasing age of mothers at first birth, but few statistics on men becoming first-time fathers. In terms of fertility, the window in which men can have children is much larger than that of women. The youngest father in the above study was 11 years old and the oldest was 88 years old, but there are reports of some “performers” who were 96 years old.

On the other hand, men get about two mutations a year in their sperm DNA, and some studies have found a link between older fathers and an increased risk of autism, mental illness and rare genetic diseases in their children. Women with older male partners also tend to have higher miscarriage rates and are at risk of more difficult pregnancies.

The reasons why men delay childbearing are probably the same as for women: contraception has become more common, and couples who aim for a fulfilling professional career decide to postpone the moment of starting a family.