No wonder modern women are having children later in life. According to new research, they have rather a lengthy checklist of milestones they want to reach before they have a baby, including travelling the world, clearing debts and earning over £30,000.
Women also want to own a property - ideally one situated near to their parents - a nice car, and be in a management position at work before starting a family, says the new study.
However the top priority, results reveal, is a traditional one: to be married before having a child.
A high flying one in twenty women wanted to be earning a salary of more than £40,000 a year before kids
The study of 1,000 women without children found around four in ten women 'needed to get to the stage where they felt mature enough to be a mother', while 17 per cent said they wanted to put their party days behind them first.
One in five said they wanted to go on a once in a lifetime holiday before the pitter patter of tiny feet arrived and a quarter wanted to be living in a property with a garden.
The poll also found a high-flying one in twenty women wanted earn a salary of more than £40,000 a year - and the same number said they wanted to be 'at the top of their game' professionally.
A similar number said they would love to have their own business before getting pregnant for the first time.
Many wanted to travel the world and one in five said they wanted to go on a once in a lifetime holiday
The poll also found many modern women are meticulously planning the timing of their new arrival to ensure it doesn't clash with other engagements.
In fact a quarter of couples stop trying to conceive at certain points of the year as they don't want a newborn's arrival to get in the way of work commitments - and even friends' weddings.
Other factors which now play a part in the timing of a pregnancy are school entry dates and term times, Christmas and even the weather.
The poll found 62 per cent said they would always prefer to have a baby in the summer months and one in twenty revealed they would be disappointed if their baby didn't arrive in a certain season or even month.
Top things women want baby's birth to coincide with
1. The spring
2. The summer
3. The start of the academic year (September)
4. The six-week school holidays
5. Christmas
2. The summer
3. The start of the academic year (September)
4. The six-week school holidays
5. Christmas
September was perceived to be the idea month for bundle of joy to arrive.
Kate Davies, Fertility Practitioner RN BSc (HONS) FP Cert, said: 'The modern woman is certainly very used to planning all aspects of her life and trying to conceive no exception. It is important to a woman to endeavor to plan her pregnancies to fit in with her career aspirations and general lifestyle.
'Women want to be more informed with regards to their bodies and have a desire to feel in control of their fertility.'
A spokesperson for OvuSense, the real time fertility monitor which commissioned the study, said: 'Nowadays women tend to juggle a lot of responsibilities in their lives and making the decision to have a baby is huge, especially the first time around.
'It's understandable that many busy women have certain things they want to accomplish before starting a family. It can only be a good thing that women are wanting to do things like clear their debt and see the world.
'Whilst the research showed that women want to get certain professional milestones under their belt, it's important not to leave it too late to start trying to conceive, everyone is different and it may take longer than you envisage.'
What women want to achieve before starting a family
The top priority for women was to be married before having children
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2623251/No-wonder-having-children-later-Women-want-married-house-travel-world-earn-30-000-pregnant.html#ixzz3199QIxu4
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