YOUTH 2020 - The position of young people in Slovenia

Young people, family, and intergenerational mindsets  251 choice and autonomy for young people to decide about their partner rela- tionships, or, as pointed out by Ule and Kuhar (2003), it implies the great- er individualization of life courses. 7.1.3  FAMILY FORMATION In recent decades, developed western countries have been characterized by a trend of delayed parenthood (Eurostat, 2015), which is related to various circumstances, such as massive enrolment to tertiary education, prolonged education, and consequently a later entry to the labour mar- ket. Before having a child, young people often want to ensure financial stability and security, find permanent housing, and fulfil their vision of a family life. Since they attain many of these goals later than they used to, they also postpone their decision to become parents. As in the European Union in general, also in Slovenia the average age at first childbirth is gradually increasing, although compared to the 1990s this growth has been slightly slower in the last 15 years (Figure 7.4). Figure 7.4: Average age of mothers at first childbirth in Slovenia, 1990-2019. 1990 2002 2009 1991 2003 2010 1992 2004 2011 1993 2005 2012 1994 2006 2013 2016 1995 2007 2014 2017 1996 2008 2015 2018 1997 2019 1999 1998 2000 2001 22.5 23.5 24.5 25.5 26.5 27.5 28.5 29.5 30.5 31.5 32.5 All births First birth 26.0 23.9 28.3 26.5 30.3 28.7 31.1 29.6 Source: SURS, 2020.