why women have no children

Women who choose to be permanently childfree perceive more social pressures to become mothers than other women, but feel less distress about not having kids than women who are childless from infertility or other reasons, a new national study shows:

• Motherhood is so highly connected with adult femininity (what is it?) in the United States that many women feel that they need to be mothers
• In recent years more U.S. women - estimates suggest about 20 percent - are ending childbearing years without having children. Some can't conceive because of biomedical infertility; others simply delay because of financial concerns, educational demands, job demands, not finding the right partner or other situational barriers. Guess, 3/4 of them simply did not want to have.
• influence from others to have children was associated with distress only if the women considered motherhood important
• as reproductive options have increased, both for limiting fertility and overcoming fertility barriers, we are learning what is devastating for some women is a relief for other women