by R.L Hanlon

Created on: September 27, 2009

The reasons as to why women are postponing starting a family today are numerous. But the main reason is that women today have more choices than women of yesteryear had.

Today, women do just as well in their careers as men. Traveling around the world is more easily accessible than what it was in the past, reaching financial security is important and living your life for you, is also a choice we now have. Finding your future partner and starting a family is no longer something that is expected of a woman, now it is a task that is given great consideration.

Following are a number of reasons women today are choosing to postpone having babies.

~Priorities

Women of yesteryear were expected to get married and have children. It was something that you dreamt of as a child, the big wedding and settling down to your job as a mother and housewife. Today, many women do not consider this their major priority in life. Some may be career orientated, some may want to travel and be carefree until they feel they've done what they've wanted with their lives.

~Finding the right partner

Divorce, stepchildren and blended families are a common occurrence in modern society. We have observed our parents' failed marriages, the financial crises and the raising of children as single parents. Knowing the hardships that can come from this, women are choosing their husbands very carefully.

No longer is marriage a done thing. Rarely do you find the child hood sweethearts or yesteryear, instead teenagers are going on to college and university, and others travel and live it up while searching for their goals in life.

~Career and Job satisfaction

Whether you're a career woman climbing the corporate ladder or establishing your own business, women now have the ability to work and earn as much as men. Some women work hard in their careers, learning and advancing themselves to be at the top of their chosen industry. We know today that children need dedicated time and attention that will take from the time needed within our careers.

~Cost of raising children

It wasn't that long ago where the cost of raising children was something that wasn't discussed. Now with the Internet and how openly people discuss their lives, it is common knowledge how much children cost.

~Financial Security

Many women now have the choice to establish financial security for themselves and their future before raising children. In relation to the cost of raising kids, we now have the knowledge at our disposal to ensure we can afford to have children.

~Support Networks

Although women have come a long way from our foremothers, one thing we have lost in modern society is a family support network. Grandparents can live miles from their children; fractured families have lost the closeness that used to come with family many years ago. Women who don't have a support system in place can find it more difficult to raise children without the much-needed help of parents and grandparents.

Women of today have so many choices as to how they want their lives to eventuate before settling down and starting a family. It is no longer a career goal for women to be wives and mothers, but something we plan carefully. Women now have the choice to better themselves and their futures to ensure their future families will be well cared for.

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