Desire for children: these - factors decide

For many couples, children are part of planning their future together. But the decision for or against a child, like the ideal time for pregnancy, is influenced by different factors. They find out here what role age, career, place of residence and partner play in family planning.

❶ Desire to have children – what role does age play??

Life expectancy in Germany has been increasing for decades and motivates many couples to have children late. This is shown by the studies "men live" ¹ and "women live" ² of the Federal Center for Health Education. According to her research, the desire to have children is age-related. Therefore It is often difficult for highly qualified men and women to find themselves for a to decide your own child, because they are devoting themselves to their careers first.

By the way: From a medical point of view, that is ideal biological age for pregnancy in women between the ages of 20 and 35.

❷ Place of residence – where is the desire to have children strongest?

In addition to age, the place of residence affects how many singles choose for or against a child. This is shown by a study by eDarling, which determines the cities with the strongest and weakest desire to have children from Switzerland on the basis of information from almost 13,000 eDarling users between 18 and 45 years of age.

According to the study, the desire for children among Swiss singles is strongest in Geneva and weakest in Chur. 55 percent of singles want to start a family in Geneva, 54 percent of single women and 55 percent of single men. In Chur, there are only 43 percent, of which 44 percent are single women and 42 percent single men.

Top 10 cities in Switzerland with the strongest desire for children

placement city Total desire for children Desire for children single women Desire for children single men 1 Geneva 55% 54% 55% 2 Lausanne 53% 52% 55% 3 Freiburg 49% 43% 54% 4 St. Gallen 48% 50% 46% 5 Winterthur 47% 49% 46% 6 Basel 46.3% 50% 42% 7 Zurich 46% 48% 43% 8th Lucerne 45% 48% 43% 9 Bern 43.4% 45% 41% 10 Chur 43% 44% 42%

❸ Child and career – that fits together?

Before the first pregnancy, many couples try to advance their careers in order to secure themselves and the future child financially. Completed vocational training and a secure job are crucial criteria for family planning, says the EU study “Job Instability and Family Trends” ³.

You can also be professionally successful with a child: Pregnancy should in no way discourage you from pursuing your professional goals at a later date. If you maintain your ambition, you have the opportunity to resume your old employment relationship at any time. Do not allow your own values to be influenced by current economic living conditions.

Partner Your partner – he is the right one for family planning?

A fulfilling, long-lasting relationship between you and your partner forms the basis of all family planning. With the birth of your first child and the changed life situation, many challenges await you. In addition to looking after their child, both parents have to prepare to work together on their relationship, to overcome hurdles and to redesign their everyday lives.

So make yourself aware: You should trust your partner completely, rely on him 100 percent, know his quirks and love him despite or because of these small mistakes. If these conditions are met, you have probably found the right one for your family planning.

But even with the right partner, you will quickly notice: There is no magic formula for being a parent. So gather your own experience, listen to your feelings and start talking to your partner as soon as misunderstandings arise.

Swell:

¹ Prof. Dr. Helfferich, Cornelia (head); Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA); "Men live – A study on resumes and family planning"; Cologne, duration 11/2001 – 07/2005

² Prof. Dr. Helfferich, Cornelia (head); Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA); "Women live – A study on resumes and family planning"; Cologne, running time 11/1997 – 11/1999

3 Brodolini, Fondazione; "Job instability and family trends: a comparative study."; Rome, 2006