Female sexual maturity

[Electra]

I have seen it be said (even in these forums) that sexually maturity/the time of most fertility is around 12 years old.

Do some actually beleive this? What is your basis of this?
I have seen no eveidence to point to this.

Even so, we must agree that mental/emotional maturity is defiantly not ready to raise a family.

Let's stop spreading this idea, thanks.

 

[Jesster]

That is roughly when puberty happens for girls. I don't see what's so controversial about that. That doesn't mean people should be having sex or raising a family at that age, though. Mental maturity comes far later, as you've stated.

 

[Father Heathen]

I have seen it be said (even in these forums) that sexually maturity/the time of most fertility is around 12 years old.

Yes, children hit puberty around that age

Do some actually beleive this? What is your basis of this?
I have seen no eveidence to point to this.

It's a biological fact. I wasn't aware that anyone actually doubted this.

Even so, we must agree that mental/emotional maturity is defiantly not ready to raise a family.

No, of course children are not mature enough to raise a family.

Let's stop spreading this idea, thanks.

What idea?

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Depends on what you define as sexual maturity. Purely the body's physical ability to become pregnant and deliver children? Yes, absolutely.
Whether it is safe to do so physically, mentally or emotionally, etc, that's a different story.

 

[Mindmaster]

I have seen it be said (even in these forums) that sexually maturity/the time of most fertility is around 12 years old.

Do some actually beleive this? What is your basis of this?
I have seen no eveidence to point to this.

Even so, we must agree that mental/emotional maturity is defiantly not ready to raise a family.

Let's stop spreading this idea, thanks.

Based on my experience of raising two adult-aged children...

Sexual maturity is >age 25. It may even be longer for generation Z who spends way too much time playing video games and less time getting the face-to-face soft skills that go with 'playing the game'. But, to give you an idea of the "modern' 21ish person:

1) Can't cook.
2) Keep house.
3) Do things without being reminded.
4) Find motivation for anything but cell phones, social media, and video games. (fore-mentioned)

Essentially, most of them are adult-aged 12 year old both in life skills and relationship skills. Mind you, I'm not really judging them from my place now just comparing them to myself at similar times. I was married, worked full time while going to school full time, and was completely self-sufficient. I couldn't wait to have my own life and fly the coup... Which, it seems is a trait the younger generation lacks.

At the risk of sounding like and old man (which doesn't bother me) you probably are never ready to raise a family even when you think you can. But, that being said there is a limit to human biological viability which curtails greatly by age 35 in women. So, basically you can have your video games or make your families but not have both. The clock keeps ticking for us all and doesn't care about our feelings or whether something is fun or enjoyable. If you want kids that goes into the 25-35 program... Worry about careers and other garbage later when the uterus goes on permanent vacation.

Hopefully, you aren't one of those people... I'm just ranting... Anyway, strive to be autonomous because freedom lies in that direction. Learn seemingly innocuous stuff like how to fix a chicken, repair some plumbing, and put some paint on the house. (The right way not just slapping it up there! ) When you can do your meals, fix up a house, and have cleaning mastery you're ready for kids. Until then, just worry about yourself.

 

[Electra]

That is roughly when puberty happens for girls. I don't see what's so controversial about that. That doesn't mean people should be having sex or raising a family at that age, though. Mental maturity comes far later, as you've stated.

people seem to think that means that this is the 'prime' for child birth so it is used as some sort of excuse

not the first chance that it may be possible

 

[Sunstone]

In America, the average age for the onset of puberty is about 10.5 years old and the average age for the onset of menstruation is a couple years later, at 12.5 years of age.

This compares with the average age of first sex for both boys and girls at about 17.4 years of age. Only 16% of boys and girls have sex before age 15.

Meanwhile the brain continues wiring itself "well into the 20s".

I don't know of anyone who would suggest that a girl of 12 or so is ready for childbirth, to become a mother, or even for sex.

 

[Jesster]

people seem to think that means that this is the 'prime' for child birth so it is used as some sort of excuse

not the first chance that it may be possible

I doubt anyone here will argue that.

 

[Mock Turtle]

The age for starting puberty has been declining over the last few centuries, and probably correlating with a better diet amongst other things, but it is irrelevant to sexual maturity since there are many more considerations as mentioned. From what I have seen, the best average age to have children is around the age of 25, for the health of the child and the mother. My mother did exactly this, having three boys centred on this age, and we have all been healthy. The physical maturity aspect must be the least valid reason for anyone having sex, since, as we know, those who have children earlier, as teenagers for example, are much more likely to have problems due to such. The age of consent, and of marriage (not that frequent), in earlier times hardly represents anything other than children being seen as the property of the parents - and bad for being so. Now, children are actually getting their own set of rights - for which we should all cheer. And in fact, in the UK at least, there weren't that many marrying under the age of 16 - according to records from around 1600, and I believe this didn't increase subsequently - even though the age of consent was 12 until about 1865.

But the sexual drive makes nonsense of the above, given that a large number of females have sex before they are legally allowed to - and possibly always will be the case.

 

[Araceli Cianna]

We live really long in this era but previously you'd be lucky if you lived until thirty. Because of that girls didn't have the choice to wait until their mid twenties to have children. Whilst I would say mental-emotional maturity does arrive in the mid-twenties, sexual maturity arrives whenever puberty hits, which would be the average of around twelve years. So evolutionarily having children so young was an advantage, but these days it no longer is.

 

[Sunstone]

So evolutionarily having children so young was an advantage, but these days it no longer is.

The average age of puberty has been declining for the past 100 or so years. Back around 1900 it was close to age 18. There are numerous theories about why the trend is occurring, but no one really knows.

However, I lean towards the notion it has something to do with artificial lighting. The pineal gland is known to be involved in determining the timing of puberty. It is also sensitive to light. Presumably, it somehow manages to tally up the quantify of light it receives over a period of years and then, when the amount has reached a certain point, trigger puberty. But this is only hypothetical at this point.

 

[Electra]

The average age of puberty has been declining for the past 100 or so years. Back around 1900 it was close to age 18. There are numerous theories about why the trend is occurring, but no one really knows.

However, I lean towards the notion it has something to do with artificial lighting. The pineal gland is known to be involved in determining the timing of puberty. It is also sensitive to light. Presumably, it somehow manages to tally up the quantify of light it receives over a period of years and then, when the amount has reached a certain point, trigger puberty. But this is only hypothetical at this point.

oh wow, that's cool

i loathe bright lights

 

[Mock Turtle]

The average age of puberty has been declining for the past 100 or so years. Back around 1900 it was close to age 18. There are numerous theories about why the trend is occurring, but no one really knows.

However, I lean towards the notion it has something to do with artificial lighting. The pineal gland is known to be involved in determining the timing of puberty. It is also sensitive to light. Presumably, it somehow manages to tally up the quantify of light it receives over a period of years and then, when the amount has reached a certain point, trigger puberty. But this is only hypothetical at this point.

it seems there is more to this than a straight forward decline from some particular era, especially if we just choose one date.

The Average Age We Used To Get Our First Period
Average age of menarche in history, at MUM
The Last Word On Nothing | The Historically Slippery Age of Puberty

Gluckman and Hanson estimate that Paleolithic and Neolithic women reached menarche around age 10, with full reproductive maturity (when they are most likely to start bringing babies to term) around age 11-13. Only with settled agricultural societies and the poor health that came with them did this start to delay to the classical and medieval menarche ages.

The Evolution of the Age at Menarche from Prehistorical to Modern Times. - PubMed - NCBI

So the onset of puberty might have varied over the ages and from various causes - none of which have been determined it seems but many causes proposed.