Feelin' Fowl wrote:My guess would be that women are physically healthier from 14-28 than they are from 30-44. This would lead me to believe that breeding at a younger age is a huge benefit to the women involved, strictly speaking about their health/body.
Feelin' Fowl wrote:assateague wrote:I just can't believe that. No way is a 14 year old more physically capable of delivering and raising a baby than a 20 year old. No way.
My thought is for the duration of the child as a child. Your prime is early, then the body starts breaking down. I would rather make/raise babies during the prime of my body. Sure at 20 she may be better for the birth part, but what about when baby 3 comes? What about when the child is 14?
my guess is that those who gave birth at 14 were likely killed in the process, and if they survived, the baby didn't. Assa is probably right, the 20 year old would most likely have the highest capability. i would bet that back before 1900, the "best" birthing age was 17-23. you probably had high birth mortality from 14-17, and from 23 on.
FF, modern medicine has expanded the healthy range for women to have children. granted, they still have menopause in their 40's, but they are still able to have kids well into their 30's and early 40's. birth mortality is nearly nonexistent anymore.
also, back then the kids actually had responsibilities and were expected to act accordingly.