Between a rock and a hard place: The reasons why women delay childbearing

Abstract

The increasing trend for women to delay childbearing is often met with harsh criticism and judgment, based on the assumption that women are prioritizing their careers over having children. An on-line survey of 500 currently childless Canadian women between the ages of 18 and 38 (M = 28) assessed participants’ childbearing intentions and beliefs, and the factors they felt were most important in the timing of childbearing. Although the respondents felt women should ideally have their first child in their late 20s, most expected that they would begin their families in their 30s. The ability to financially support a child was the most strongly endorsed factor in the timing of childbearing, followed by good health, being with a partner who would be an involved and loving parent, and having a proper home in which to raise a child. These findings highlight the values and beliefs that were most salient in participants’ decisions about the timing of childbearing.