RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Study found the more educated the woman, the less the idea bothered herBy Carolyn Colwell
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Women are more comfortable with the idea of childlessness than men, new research shows, and the surprise finding might really reflect differences in how each gender views the pressures of parenthood.
"On a basic level, for men and women, parenting and parenthood mean different things," said study author Tanya Koropeckyj-Cox. "For me, it reflects that there's something important happening in the experiences of men and women where those different experiences are leading to different perceptions of family, relationships, gender and children."
Differences in socioeconomic factors such as race, age, employment, attitudes toward marriage and religion explain only part of the gender gap. "Instead, these responses indicate greater acceptance of childlessness, particularly among women, as one possible life path whether chosen or shaped by circumstances," the study concluded.
The research is published in the November issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family. The study is based on data collected in two national surveys that were conducted in 1987 to 1988 and in 1994. Over the past few decades, the number of women who are childless has varied widely, said Koropeckyj-Cox, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Florida.
I find topics like these very interesting, N' reminds me of a story.
I had just moved back to Ohio, and I was in the grocery store where I ran into two girls from high school (graduated from Thomas Worthington btw). They were very happy to see me, and had two questions, was I dating/married and did I have any babies? Didn't want to hear about where I went to college or what I was doing after that, unless it involved men or having babies it wasn't important. Oh and they really wanted to know who else we mutually knew that got married and had babies, and then told me about their men and their babies (or the desire for men and babies). It was a very strange conversation.
Most of my female friends now either have kids or are currently pregnant, and I'm seriously considering being the eternal 'auntie', and not breeding altogether. I don't want to be a first time mom at 40, and I'm ok with that.
So yeah. Anyone else wanna toss up their two cents?
Launched in August 2010, TheMetropreneur.com is a local online resource devoted to small business development and entrepreneurship. Its aim is to tell the stories of Central Ohio's business community, foster regional economic development and assist entrepreneurs with its resource-heavy focus.