WHY WOMEN WANT CHILDREN - A STUDY DURING PHASES OF PARENTHOOD

One hundred thirty-three Canadian women (aboriginal, French-Canadian, and English-speaking) who were either mothers, pregnant, or trying to conceive were asked open-ended questions about why they wanted childre n. The findings indicate that the decision to have children is an emot ional decision. There were no differences between the ethnic groups or between the different stages of parenthood regarding the reasons the women said they wanted children.