I’ll back JP on this.
Maybe it’s just my circle of friends… But I have several friends who are single moms by choice and DO NOT take child support from the fathers. Two got pregnant through sperm banks when they realized that if they wanted children they had better be prepared to go alone because the pool of potential husbands was pretty grim.
I considered this, myself. I was single until my late 30’s and had spent a few years in my mid-30’s considering whether I wanted to go the sperm bank route, but decided, for me, I didn’t want to do it alone. I was fortunate in that when I met my husband – also older/ never married/ no kids – he wanted kids. (And he wasn’t just saying that to get laid. LOL.)
My best friend had the opposite experience of what’s being stereotyped here. She NEVER wanted kids – still doesn’t. She made no bones about it – was upfront and it was well known to everyone. Her ex-husband wanted kids and kept pushing her. It was a factor in their divorce. It’s not always the woman pushing for kids.
And – again perhaps it’s the crowd I run with. Many of my friends are the primary income earners in their households… making more than their partners. Not all women are looking for a rich baby-daddy to support them. I suspect that in 2 income households – 30-40% or more have the woman earning more than the man. Maybe even more than that.
