© AdobeStock/ kerkezz
Older mothers have a positive influence on the cognitive development of their children
An investigation by the Federal Office for Civil Protection shows why this is the case.
Scientists are quite certain that a good 50% of a person's intelligence is inherited. Parents have a major influence on the other half, e.g. B. by their age.
Science has already proven that. In addition to many other things that the offspring also get from her. OneStudy by the Federal Institute for Civil Protection (BIB)now shows that children of older mothers in particular are better at mathematics on average. In addition, their social skills are more developed than those of children of younger mothers.
Also read:
The reason for the BIB study was study results from other countries which indicate that later motherhood has a predominantly positive effect on child development. In order to be able to check these results for Germany, the scientists examined data from the National Education Panel (NEPS-SC1) and conducted repeat surveys of parents and children between the ages of 4 and 9 in Germany.
The results show: If mothers were younger than 30 when their child was born, these children increasingly had below-average mathematical skills. Children of mothers who were 30 years old or older at birth were more likely to have average and sometimes higher mathematical skills. A similar, although not so different, picture emerges when it comes to social-emotional skills.
Also read:
The results suggest that the mother's age appears to have a greater influence on a child's cognitive development. But only if you look at it in isolation.
Taking other factors into account, it becomes apparent that it is not only the mother's age that has a positive influence on a child's cognitive development, but rather it is the learning environment that can have a more or less positive effect.
Mother's level of education more important than age
As the scientists involved in the study argue, child development “depends on the children’s learning environment, which is shaped by their parents’ home, especially in the first years of the child’s life.” And that, according to the researchers, is narrow linked to parents' financial and time resources.
Since older mothers are generally better educated (academics), they would have better paying jobs, which gives them more financial resources. These enable mothers to support their child more lavishly.
Also read:
The study's evaluations show that a mother's higher level of education and a higher household income almost completely explain the differences in children's mathematical skills.
An intact partnership, shared mother-child activities, but also the mother's well-being and life satisfaction also have a positive effect on a child's cognitive development.
More support for young mothers
Since it is not just the mother's age that is crucial for a child's cognitive development, but rather the resources available to the mother and positive living conditions, the scientists recommend that young mothers be given more and better support. It is primarily publicly funded childcare options that can help mothers and children.
On the one hand, according to the scientists, they would help to “ensure appropriate support for the children”. On the other hand, they give mothers the opportunity to complete their training or studies even with children.
Even more family topics:
