In the name of the father Drop in number of babies registered without dads
THE number of Irish babies registered without a father’s name on their birth certificate has almost halved over the past decade.
In 2007, 5.5% of infants born here had a blank space but the figure was just over 3% in 2017.
Figures from the CSO show the number of babies where the father’s identity isn’t registered in the birth certificate has been steadily dropping over the past 10 years from a high of 3,959 babies in 2007 to 1,902 babies last year.
A new law introduced in recent years places a duty on unmarried parents to register the father’s name on the birth certificate of their child except in exceptional circumstances.
Meanwhile, increasing numbers of Irishmen are joining the ranks of celebrities like George Clooney and Mick Jagger in the growing club of older dads.
The CSO statistics on births show fathers in their 40s rose sharply by just over 40% over the past decade with 12% of new fathers in their 40s in 2007 compared to 17% of 40-something fathers on birth certificates last year.
The figures also show a corresponding drop in fathers in their 20s last year compared to 2007.
Around one-in-four or 23% of new dads were in their 20s a decade ago but this fell by a quarter to 17% last year.
Meanwhile, there has been a significant drop in teenage dads over the past 10 years.
There were 708 new dads aged under 20 in 2007 but this fell to 398 last year which was less than 1% of new fathers last year.
of new dads in Ireland last year were aged in their 40s
George Clooney