Statistics Estonia: Women Today vs 20 Years Ago
The characteristics of the nation's female population have changed in a number of aspects over the past 20 years, Statistics Estonia said in a blog article published on March 8, International Women's Day.
Women live longer, marry and give birth at an older age and have fewer abortions, wrote analyst Jaana Rahno.
According to Rahno, life expectancy among women, judging by 2010 statistics, is 80.5 years, almost six years higher than in 1990.
The change can be attributed to improvements in medical care as well as the fact that women are becoming more physically active and aware of their nutritional habits. Likewise, the number of heart attacks and strokes registered among women has decreased significantly over the two decades, said Rahno.
Women have also become eager learners, particularly interested in obtaining higher education, a trend that has prompted them to marry and have children at an older age.
The average age that women get married for the first time is currently around 28 - a five-year increase compared to 1990. The age of women giving birth to their first child has jumped from 22.7 to 26.3 over the same period.
The share of births occurring outside of matrimony has increased by 32 percent since the beginning of the 1990s, according to the analyst.
The birth rate 20 years ago was also much higher, with the average number of children per woman at 2.05. In 2010, the figure stood at 1.64. "Unfortunately, during the high birth rate period, there were three times more abortions than now," said Rahno.
Ingrid Teesalu