Melbourne - Three out of four Australian adults say they have no regrets about never having children, according to a study released on Wednesday.
The study, an anonymous online survey, found 75 percent of 559 Australians over the age of 35, who were yet to procreate, were content despite not having fulfilled what many consider as a rite of passage.
“There is childless and childfree. People who are childfree choose not to have children ever,” the study's led-researcher, Bronwyn Harman, from Perth's Edith Cowan University told the Australian Broadcast Corporation.
“People who are childless are the ones who would love to have children but are unable to for a variety of reasons.”
“One of the major things I found was that of the participants who were over 50 and chose not to have children, approximately one quarter said they regretted that decision,” Harman, a lecturer at School of Psychology and Social Science, said.
“That's not comparable to other research that has been done in that area. Other research said that only about two-three percent regret it.”
Of those who stuck by their decision not to have children, very few were able offer a valid reason. “Some decided they weren't maternal or paternal, some said children were too expensive, some said they actively disliked children,” she said.
“But the most common answer I got was that there was no reason - they just didn't think about having children or see it as an option for them.”
Xinhua