Out of sync: a generation of first-time mothers over 30.

Increasing numbers of women have delayed childbearing until after they reach their thirties. The researchers who studied early maternal role attainment in women over 30 failed to reflect on the challenges of raising a child to adulthood. The use of grounded theory helped us understand the extended mothering experience from the perspective of women over 30. Fifty-three women from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, California, Connecticut, and Florida composed the total sample. Ages of the women ranged from 30 to 91; ages of the children ranged from 6 weeks to late sixties. We called the dominant category out of sync, with properties that included mortality, vitality, and social structural considerations. The pervasive quality of the central variable makes this account of interest to an international audience.