Thanks to the I Social Barometer of the perception of Spanish women about motherhood and fertility, carried out by IVI in Spain, we are learning about the current trends in our country. Some trends that are part of the moment of ‘demographic winter’ that we are experiencing, with the average age at which women are mothers increasingly higher. For this reason, we want to talk about the reasons why women do not include motherhood among their life plans. In addition, we have asked Dr. Elisa Gil, from IVI Zaragoza, and María José Fernández, an IVI patient, to assess these data, which we are going to break down below.
“The children for when?”
Surely it is no stranger to you that they have asked you when you are going to have children, when you reach a certain age or after you get married (if you have done so). A question that in many cases will ‘stick to the bone’ and whose answer depends on many aspects. And it is that, as we anticipated, in the national study carried out by IVI we have observed a tendency to postpone or even reject maternity plans. In September we saw how nearly 80% of those surveyed between the ages of 25 and 29, who do want to be mothers, have delayed the moment in which they become one due to the current socio-economic situation in our country.
“As our survey shows, almost 8 out of 10 women between the ages of 25 and 29 have not yet had children. For their part, more than half of the women between the ages of 30 and 35 (53%) have not been mothers. Regarding the percentage of childless women between the ages of 36 and 39, the figure drops to 34% and to 29% in those over 40. It is clear that motherhood is being postponed more each year. Even some women decide never to experience it. But, what are the reasons that lead them to give up being mothers in our days?says Dr. Gil.
Main reasons why Spanish women are not mothers
Dr. Elisa Gil very wisely asks why women are giving up being mothers today in our country. Thanks to the survey carried out by IVI in collaboration with the company GFK We can observe 5 reasons why women do not want to be mothers.
I’m still too young
62% of those surveyed between 25 and 29 years old use this reason to justify why they have not yet been mothers. They are women who look healthy, fit, but who do not take into account their biological clock and, above all, that it does not follow the rhythms that mark their social life. We cannot forget that female fertility begins to decline after the age of 35, both in number and quality of oocytes.
Job stability and conciliation
More than half of those surveyed in the age group of 30 to 35 years do not see it feasible to have children due to their employment situation. In addition, 36% consider that it would be difficult for them to reconcile. Undoubtedly, the professional and family situations of each woman weigh in such an important decision as having a child.
Economic reasons
The lack of economic resources is the most important reason why women under 36 years of age give up being mothers. They do not consider themselves with the necessary solvency to start a family.
I don’t have a partner or it’s not the right one
In addition to the employment situation, which affects 40% of those surveyed over 30 years of age, the partner is a relevant factor in this vital decision. 36% of those surveyed in the age range of 36 to 39 years declare that the fact of not having a partner or that it is not the right one is an important reason for not having been mothers yet. If we look at the respondents aged between 40 and 45, it is striking that they allege this same reason (37%). It also greatly affects their economic (41%) and employment (45%) situation.
loss of freedom
Taking into account the social evolution that we are experiencing, the fact that the respondents attribute their resignation to being mothers to this reason is a clear example of the new way of thinking among the new generations. And it is that 61% of those surveyed from 36 to 39 years old affirm that a child is a loss of freedom and of not having time for themselves.
“We are facing independent, adventurous women who enjoy and squeeze every minute of their lives. His mind and priorities have changed over time. In this regard, it is important to highlight that this age group of respondents are the ones that indicate the most reasons to justify their renunciation of motherhood. This may show an attempt to reason their decision in the face of the social pressure that they probably feel and that pushes them to have to argue this choice.adds Dr. Gil.
What if I don’t have a partner?
It should be remembered that this survey was carried out on nearly 1,000 women between the ages of 25 and 45, of medium, medium-high and high socio-economic status. A survey that concludes that 84% of women who want to be mothers do not rule out doing so alone, with the help of assisted reproduction. A reality as current as it is revealing. So much so that this percentage also increases among those surveyed under 35 years of age, with which we can once again observe the change in generational mentality.
This is the case of María José Fernández, IVI patient and single mother by choice: “I have always thought: if there is a couple that appears and is the ideal to take that step, perfect. But, if not, the couple is secondary. I think that when you decide to be a single mother you have to be very clear that you don’t need a partner, physically or emotionally.
And it is that single motherhood is a growing trend. A decision that more and more women are making in response to their desire to start a family and that they do not need a partner to do so. In the case of IVI, last year women who decided to have children alone accounted for 20% of all treatments in all our clinics around the world. And in the last 5 years alone, the percentage of treatments for this type of patient has grown by 66%.
“Information at this point is key. Approximately half of the women who want to be mothers in the future consider that they have enough information about single motherhood, although it is a figure with significant room for improvement. And a third of those surveyed would worry about explaining the decision to form a single-parent family to their children in the future”adds Dr. Gil.
Reconcile: a real need
If we talk about variables that tip the balance for or against being a mother, a very important one is conciliation. In addition, both from the pregnancy and when the children have already been born. Given this, there are many requests and requests for improvement in terms of conciliation policies in Spain, but the truth is that the opinion of society in this regard continues to be negative. In this sense, the data from our barometer reflects how nearly 70% of women consider the current maternity leave in our country to be insufficient. Regarding paternity leave, the percentage of women who consider it scarce drops to 54%.
“And when we talk about rejoining the labor market 4 months after being a mother, only 6% of the women surveyed consider this time interval appropriate, and half of them believe that it should be done a year after giving birth. . Some of these women will end up being forced to reduce their working hours to a greater extent than their partners, since, as this study shows, 46% of currently working mothers who have a partner have reduced their working hours, compared to 4% of Your partners. There is much to be done in terms of conciliation. A long-awaited and necessary evolution”concludes Dr. Gil.
