# When women change their minds about having kids is it more a chemical thing or a social thing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-women-change-their-minds-about-having-kids-is-it-more-a-chemical-thing-or-a-social-thing/636660>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 4, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-women-change-their-minds-about-having-kids-is-it-more-a-chemical-thing-or-a-social-thing/636660 "2012-10-04T03:30:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![smokey78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@smokey78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smokey78)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-women-change-their-minds-about-having-kids-is-it-more-a-chemical-thing-or-a-social-thing/636660/41 "2012-10-08T20:35:27Z")

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ooh, now I recall what I was going to add, U.S. News Report? a year ago did a feature on birth and marriage rates droppping fast for Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. While Americans have higher incomes and Europeans have substantial work-family benefits, Asian women have now made the choice of not having families—a hindrance to flourishing careers, and considered a burden.

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**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-women-change-their-minds-about-having-kids-is-it-more-a-chemical-thing-or-a-social-thing/636660/42 "2012-10-09T22:39:01Z")

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> [@Rushgeekgirl](#):
>
> My daughter has started experiencing this and it’s making her miserable. She doesn’t like kids much and has no desire to procreate but recently she’s been plagued by the desire. I really think it’s hormonal.

That’s interesting. I wonder how high of a percentage of mothers are the same way- that they hormonally craved being a mother but intellectually didn’t want it. I’m sure any woman this way who did have a child would love her children and could be a great mother, but I wonder how high a percentage regret it. Or think longingly about their childless life more than they think about how much they love being a mother.

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**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-women-change-their-minds-about-having-kids-is-it-more-a-chemical-thing-or-a-social-thing/636660/43 "2012-10-09T23:45:25Z")

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How many men think longingly of the things they could do if they didn’t have a family to take care of?

It’s normal for people to have conflicting feelings about massive life changes, the road not taken, etc.

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