According to a British survey, women are “delaying” motherhood not because they’re too busy doing selfish independent-lady things, but because they don’t have the money.
The survey, conducted by Mumpoll.com and reported in the Daily Mail, found that half of women who wanted children but didn’t yet have them cited lack of money as the main reason. Nine out of ten said they would “struggle to cope financially without their wage” (presumably most of these are women with partners, as many single women would do more than “struggle” without their incomes). And a majority felt they wouldn’t be financially comfortable until they hit 30. Says a Mumpoll spokeswoman,
In this modern day and age it is not unusual for the woman to be earning just as much as the man, if not more, in a normal relationship. […] So it stands to reason that the thought of losing 50 per cent or more of the family’s earning because the women stops work, all be it temporarily, to have a child can be a put off. Add to that the fear that women feel like they are taking a step down the career ladder when they have kids, it’s no wonder more and more women are leaving starting a family until well into their thirties.
You mean women aren’t just gallivanting around, forgetting to have kids? They’re actually making rational choices based on the realities of today’s economy? Ridiculous! And kind of refreshing to hear spelled out, except this is the Daily Mail, so of course they have to include some depressing language: “eight out of ten women are waiting until they are older before having children because they are trying to achieve as much as they can before giving it all up.”
Yes, ladies, you must give it all up when you have children — except for one small saving grace. That would be caffeine, which pregnant ladies can now consume in “moderate” amounts without fear of miscarriage or premature birth, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (also reported in the Daily Mail). Moderate apparently means a daily intake of one cup of coffee, four cups of tea, five sodas, or six to seven chocolate bars. So go crazy, moms to be! If you’re about to give it all up, you may as well be awake for it.
Image via Piotr Marcinski/Shutterstock.com.
How Millions Of Working Women Are Putting Off Motherhood Because It Would Cost Too Much [Daily Mail]
It’s OK To Have Your Morning Cup Of Coffee While Pregnant, New Study Claims [Daily Mail]