Two weeks ago we launched a survey among our readers to know firsthand the number of children they have, the number of children they would like to have and the main reasons that prevent them from having the children they want.
We have the results of the test. They have given us very interesting data that we went on to analyze and compare with a survey about maternity that Antena 3 days ago. But before doing so, we would greatly appreciate your participation in our consultation.
As headline, the most representative data is that nothing less than 89 percent of respondents would like to have more children than they have.
The results of the survey
Have participated 573 mothers between 17 and 46 years old. The majority, 70 percent, under 35, while the remaining 30 percent are 35 or older.
Of the total respondents, only 11 percent have the number of children they want. 89 percent would like to have more children. Recall that according to the Antena 3 survey the percentage was quite lower, 40 percent of women said they wanted to have more children.
More than a half (55 percent) he has only one son and they are the ones who most want to enlarge the family, followed by those without children.
31 percent have 2 children. The percentage is practically the same among those who have no children (7 percent) and those who have 3 children (6 percent), while the mothers of more than 3 children are very few, only 1 percent.
That there were so few respondents with large families explains the high percentage of mothers who have been wanting to have more children. And also that a large majority of respondents were under 35 years old, so that many of them still probably fulfill their desire to have the children they want.
When we have asked them how many children they would like to have, almost half (45 percent), mostly mothers with only one child, have replied that I would like to have one more child. 34 percent said they wanted to have 2 more children, while the remaining 9 percent would like to have 3 or more more children.
The reasons why women have no more children
The general result of mothers of all ages indicates that the main drawback to enlarge the family are the economic problems (37 percent) along with other types of reasons (36 percent), followed by work reasons (18 percent) and finally by age (9 percent).
Anyway, I wanted to divide the reasons by age of the mothers, under 35 and 35 years old, to have a more approximate idea of what are the real reasons that prevent women from having more children.
- Among women under 35
The main impediment to enlarge the family among younger women is economic problems (38 percent), followed by other reasons (30 percent) that encompasses personal decisions such as waiting for the child they have to be older or having more familiar help.
It is followed by work (with 17 percent) and then the couple (6 percent), age (5 percent) and health / infertility (4 percent).
- Among women over 35
Among older women, the main impediment are also economic problems, but to a lesser extent (28 percent) and the rest raise the percentages of other reasons more related to their age.
The next reason after economic difficulties is work (21 percent), followed by age (19 percent) and for other reasons, including lack of time (17 percent).
Then come the reasons for health / infertility (8 percent), which although not as significant doubles the percentage of the youngest and finally the couple (6 percent), either because the woman has no partner, because she has problems with your partner or because the couple does not want to have more children.
Conclusions
The conclusions give a lot to think about. That almost all women of reproductive age confess that they would like to have more children than they have is a sign of the worrisome situation of today's society. It is assumed that each family should have at least two children for generational change and the results show that only 30 percent of respondents have them and that almost everyone wants but cannot.
But another worrying thing is that for one thing or another women see their desire to be mothers truncated. And I'm not talking about the illusion of having five children running around the house, but of at least having two and at most asking for three.
Whether due to economic problems, work reasons, age and other reasons not inherent to them, most women of childbearing age they don't live their motherhood fully.
In short, mothers do not have the number of children we want, but those we can.
