Utah Women and Fertility: Trends and Changes from 1970–2021

Fertility—or the ability to conceive and bear children—has impacted women’s lives for millennia. Cultural, social, economic, religious, and personal factors have influenced questions of whether to have a child, when to have a child, how many children to have, and in what context to have them. How have Utahns made childbearing decisions? What story does state and national data tell us about Utah? Do Utah trends parallel national trends, or do unique Utah factors impact the data? To understand trends and changes related to fertility in Utah, this research snapshot focuses on four areas:  

1. Fertility trends from 1970–2021;  
2. Marital status trends from 1970–2021;  
3. Cultural contexts by decade (1970–2020/2021); and  
4. Looking ahead. 

Fertility Trends from 1970–2021 

For the last 50 years, Utah’s total fertility rate (TFR) has been consistently ahead of the national average, with Utahns having more children compared to the nation as a whole. Starting around 2010, however, that gap began to narrow as total fertility rates in the state and nation started to decline. Compared to 50 years ago, Utah’s TFR is 42.4% lower, and the nation’s rate is 36.0% lower. In addition to Utah women having higher total fertility rates, they generally marry earlier and have their first child at a younger age than the average American woman. Still, in the last 50 years, women’s age at first marriage and first birth has risen both nationally and in Utah, shifting from women’s early 20s to mid-20s for Utah and later 20s for the US. 

Marital Status Trends from 1970–2021 

The share of Utah women who have never married was at its lowest in 1980 (22.0%) and increased to 28.3% in 2021. A consistently higher percentage of Utah women have been married compared to US women, with the gap widening to an average of 6.3% in the last two decades. Still, marriage rates have declined over the last five decades in Utah and the US. Divorce rates of Utah women largely followed national trends: divorce percentages climbed between 1970 (3.8%) and 2010 (10.1%), then dropped slightly in the last decade (9.8%). 

Cultural Contexts by Decade (1970–2020/2021) 

1970:  

• In the US in 1970, 11.2% of women ages 25 to 64 in the labor force held a bachelor’s degree; a third (33.5%) had less than a high school diploma.  
• In 1979, US women earned 62.3 cents to every dollar that men earned.  
• During the 1970s, women experienced the social impact of no-fault divorce laws, laws prohibiting discrimination against pregnant women, the availability of oral contraceptives, an increase of women on college campuses (in both undergraduate and graduate programs), and a significant increase of women in the workforce. 

1980:  

• The 1980s marked the beginning of a steady decline in the gender gap of labor force participation, with women increasing their commitment to education and to making career decisions that complimented their lifestyle preferences.  
• Divorce rates peaked in the early 1980s and began to fall by the late 1980s. 

1990:  

• The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed in 1993 and guaranteed employees unpaid time off for family and medical reasons, such as for the birth or adoption of a child. 
• Because more families had dual incomes and more women were working single parents, children growing up in this decade were sometimes referred to as the “latchkey generation.” 

2000: 

• One of the major defining factors of this decade was the Great Recession, which began in late 2007 and continued through 2009. Economic downturns may influence a decline in births and total fertility rates. In Utah, total fertility rates peaked in 2008 and have since been on the decline. 
• In 1998, Latter-day Saint leadership had issued new directions on family size in their official handbook, affirming that the number of children a couple decides to have ought to be a private decision. 

2010 

• Among US women in 2010, those in the workforce who held a bachelor’s degree had increased to 36.4%; by 2016, this proportion had increased to 41.6%. 
• The US gender wage gap decreased 4.3% from the previous decade: women in 2010 earned 81.2 cents for every dollar that men earned. While the wage gap remained significant, it is important to note that from 1979 to 2016, the gap decreased by 19.6%. 
• Financial concerns continued to be a factor for total fertility rates in this decade. Utah’s median home prices began escalating in 2011, and Utahns began to carry more housing debt, on average, than Americans in other states. 
• In 2012, the proselytizing religion lowered the age at which young people could begin missionary service. The age change led to a historic increase of women serving missions and may have impacted their age at first marriage and first birth. 

2020/2021 

• The average number of children born to Utah women dropped below 2.0 for the first time to 1.9. 
• Data over the coming years may reveal an interactive effect of the pandemic on total fertility rates. On the one hand, some research suggests that more time at home created a “baby bump,” or small TFR boost. On the other hand, increasing inflation and other ongoing economic implications of the pandemic may influence decreases in fertility. 

Looking Ahead 

Overall, Utah is undergoing change when it comes to the formation and makeup of families: divorce rates are dropping, but age of first marriage and age of mothers at their first birth are increasing, and more women than ever have never married. Policymakers should use TFR trends and cultural contexts to inform discussions about population replacement rates and to develop ways to support childbearing in Utah. Policymakers must also consider how total fertility rates impact outcomes such as school enrollment and labor force participation, while at the same time they must account for the impact of the aging population on healthcare costs. 

Conclusion 

The last 50 years have not seen one static “Utah woman.” Rather, Utah women have made diverse decisions about their childbearing and families, changing throughout the decades in response to cultural contexts, social norms, and personal circumstances. Looking to the future, community leaders will need to carefully consider how to balance resources among various population needs. Utah policymakers will need to support women and families so they are empowered to make childbearing choices that are right for them. When we support Utah women and families, we will help all Utahns thrive. 

To learn more about Utah women and fertility trends and changes, read the full snapshot.