Rise of the 'career girl' abortion: Number of women aged 25 to 29 having abortions increases by 20% in a decade

  • The total number of abortions in these women rose from 36,018 in 2003 to 43,578 in 2013 - but, this rise was in large part due to population growth
  • The abortion rate rose from 22.1 per 1,000 in 2003 to 22.6 per 1,000 in 2013
  • Abortion rate for all women of childbearing age fell 4.7% from 2003 to 2013
  • In 2013, 15.9 women in every 1,000 aged between 15 and 44 had an abortion

By Emma Innes

Published: 08:34 EST, 12 June 2014 | Updated: 09:43 EST, 12 June 2014

The number of women aged between 25 and 29 having abortions has risen slightly in the last 10 years

The number of women aged between 25 and 29 having abortions has risen slightly in the last 10 years

The number of women aged 25 to 29 having abortions has risen 20 per cent in the last 10 years.

In 2003 there were 36,018 abortions among women in this age group, while in 2013 there were 43,578.

This is thought to reflect the growing 'career girl' effect.

However, the figures from the Department of Health also show that the overall abortion rate in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for 16 years.

And, they reveal that last year one per cent of procedures were carried out because the child was likely to be born with a disability, while 37 per cent of the women had previously had at least one abortion.

Some 53 per cent already had a child, leading to suggestions that some women in their 30s and 40s have worse access to contraception or mistakenly believe their fertility is waning.

Commenting on the figures, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) suggested the increase in the 25-29 age bracket may
'reflect the ongoing trend towards women postponing motherhood until they feel in the position to become a parent'.

The average age of first time motherhood in the UK is now over 28, the highest in the developed world.

In 2013, 15.9 women in every 1,000 aged between 15 and 44 had an abortion in England and Wales - this is 0.8 per cent lower than in 2012 and 4.7 per cent lower than a decade ago.

But the total number of abortions carried out in England and Wales last year was slightly higher than in 2012 due to population increase.

In 2013, 185,331 abortions were carried out - 0.1 per cent more than in 2012 and 2.1 per cent more than in 2003.

 

More...

And, among women aged 25 to 29, the number having abortions last year rose from 22.1 per 1,000 in to 22.6.

The abortion rate was highest among women aged 22. 

But thanks to more teenagers using contraception, the abortion rate among teenagers fell last year to 2.6 per 1,000.

In total, 773 abortions were carried out in women under the age of 15 and 686 in women over the age of 45.

The abortion rate in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for 16 years, new figures show

The abortion rate in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for 16 years, new figures show

The highest abortion rate in 2013 was among women aged 22. Graph shows the abortion rate per 1,000 by age

The highest abortion rate in 2013 was among women aged 22. Graph shows the abortion rate per 1,000 by age

The Department of Health figures also revealed that most abortions take place in the first trimester of the pregnancy, with 91 per cent carried out before the 13th week of pregnancy.

Genevieve Edwards, Director of Policy at sexual health charity Marie Stopes UK, said: ‘Looking at these statistics, what jumps out to me is that there is very little real change.

‘It is heartening to see that the percentage of women having abortions has fallen to its lowest rate in 16 years, but too many women are still being let down by a lack of contraceptive choice, education and access. 

‘It is good that women have rapid access to abortion but we’d like to see the same access to quality contraception.

‘If we want to see a significant drop, we must make contraception, especially the longer acting, more reliable methods, available to all women.’

In 2013, 91 per cent of abortions were carried out before the 13th week of pregnancy

In 2013, 91 per cent of abortions were carried out before the 13th week of pregnancy

British Pregnancy Advisory Service Chief Executive, Ann Furedi, said: ‘There is no right or wrong number of abortions, simply that any woman who needs an abortion is able to obtain one. 

‘One in three women will have an abortion, and these figures show clearly that women need good access to contraception and abortion services at every stage of their reproductive lifetimes.

‘We should stop politicising abortion and accept that it is a standard part of women’s healthcare.

‘Much effort has been put into improving contraception services for younger women, but women don’t stop having sex when they hit 25.

‘We need to construct services that meet the needs of older women, often juggling jobs and childcare, who are time poor and need more straightforward access to their chosen contraception method.’

Comments (295)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

I'm 26 and whilst I haven't been with many men, I can tell you exactly how many asked if I was using any contraception - 0. You read that right, a big fat 0. On several occasions I actually said "Are you aware that you haven't even asked me if I'm using contraception?" And they always replied with something like "Err.... well I just assumed you would be". It really is amazing that so many men couldn't care less. I imagine because they're not the ones who will ever deal with the consequences. Stop attacking women's life choices and get your stupid sons to wrap up, maybe.

1
5
 Click to rate

Interesting how everyone is assuming it's career women? What about men? I've never had an abortion, but my husband and I got married in our 20s but didn't have children until our 30s as it was his career as well as mine which would not have supported a family.

0
9
 Click to rate

There is nothing in your statistics to link abortions to careers. The age group given that has the highest number represents the most fertile group. I have worked in this area and the most common reason given for abortion is a failing relationship.Only a minority of women want to go through pregnancy and childbirth alone.

1
10
 Click to rate

DM you infuriate me!!! So overall there are less abortions but more in this age group because of the growing population. Where is the news in this? And which idiot named it 'career girl' abortion. Abortion is a choice but not an easy option. Any person labelling it 'Career girl' abortion has no understanding or knowledge of this situation. All you've done is stir up the issue again and given something for the pro bible bashing lifers to preach about!

1
14
 Click to rate

I know a number of women now in their 50s who are childless. Nearly all of them got pregnant in their 20s and 30s and had an abortion because the time wasn't right. And they all say that if they had known then that their pregnancy was going to be their "only chance ever" to have a baby they wouldn't have had the abortion. They all thought there would be another pregnancy at a more convenient time but sometimes it just doesn't happen. I do think anyone contemplating an abortion should ask themselves how they would feel if they found out later that they would never have a child at all. It may not be easy financially or practically at an "inconvenient" time but these women in their 50s often still cry over their loss, which they admit they chose, 20 or 30 years ago. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

10
5
 Click to rate

Liberation for women.

2
5
 Click to rate

Later on all those girls will be wanting help to get pregnant when they're older and can't conceive and decide that for them the time is right and they want a baby. Sadly these women need to realise only mother nature knows when the"time" is right and women will never be able to have it all.We never will and never have,women have always had to sacrifice no matter what they say.

15
8
 Click to rate

The government should pay women to have children, since these children are the people the government will train through education to become the next generation of workforce making them rich.

8
4
 Click to rate

er, they do. It's called Child Benefit

1
6
 Click to rate

When GM0 comes to britain, this will change as it will render everyone consuming it infertile. So no worries career girls, you can play out your SEX AND THE CITY BS fantasies and then when you want a child, you can pay a medical profession to implant a ready-made one inside. O Brave New World.

9
2
 Click to rate

I think a main problem is that we young women can't afford to have babies. It's a sad day that we have to kill our young off because of this, but that's obviously what it's come to. Young women often cannot afford to take time off work to have a child because it will render our careers unstable, and also if our partner is not in a particularly high-paying job then we will suffer greatly financially. So what do we do? Do we wait until we have saved up all our monies and we're 40+ years old, THEN have babies (if we can)? Or do we have them when we are young, and risk poverty and unemployment and a falling-apart relationship due to financial struggles?

2
14
 Click to rate

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now