1 in 4 women age 30 and younger had a child before age 21

Twenty-four percent of U.S. women age 30 and younger say they became a parent before age 21, compared with 10 percent of men, a survey indicates. The Gallup Poll of 5,100 U.S. adults were asked a number of questions about their experiences and desires with regard to having children. The survey included 3,899 adults who have had a child at some point in their life. The survey found almost 4-of-10 women ages18-29 currently had a child, while 26 percent of men in the same age group had a child. Americans, on average, favored age 25 as the ideal age for a woman to have a child and 27 as the ideal age for men, the survey said. A societal shift toward delaying parenthood is evident in the rates of women and men ages 30-49 -- 66 percent of women in this age group had their first child before age 30, while 73 percent of women ages 50-64 and 84 percent of adults age 65 and older. Similarly, 55 percent of men ages 30-49 had their first child before age 30, 61 percent of men ages 50-64 had a child before age 30 and 77 percent of men age 65 and older. Although men and women are waiting longer, on average, to have a child than their parents and grandparents may have, Gallup found most of those who haven't had children still hope to someday. No margin of error was provided.