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"Are you a mother? Do you know if you want to have kids or not? I was on the fence for a long time until I had my two boys, but new research sheds light on a surprising trend. Apparently fewer women are becoming mothers ... The Washington Post reports that nearly one in five American women in her early 40s is childless. That&amp;#x27;s double the childless 40-somethings compared to the 1970s, marking a shocking increase in women who either are uninterested in becoming mothers or just don&amp;#x27;t plan to have children (the study focused on biological kids, not adopted). (Oddly, those with an advanced degree--master&amp;#x27;s or higher--were more likely to have children by their 40s.) The study, conducted by the Pew Research Center, cites many reasons for the drop in pregnancies, including less pressure to have kids, improved contraception options and more career opportunities for women. &amp;quot;The fact that nearly one of five women does not have a child of her own--that&amp;#x27;s an enormous transformation from the past,&amp;quot; said one of the study&amp;#x27;s authors. So interesting, and I think, positive: Women have more choices and options than ever before. Who says we must be mothers? I think so many women head down the motherhood road because they feel it&amp;#x27;s something they must do--like a check-the-box sort of thing. Not true! As much as I love being a mom, there are so many other fulfilling paths, too, and I&amp;#x27;m all for women who want to blaze their own trail--with kids or without them. What do you think? Do you expect to have kids by the time you&amp;#x27;re in your 40s or not? More reading: *Kim Kardashian slams woman for breastfeeding in public--thoughts? *More on women and pregnancy--many say they&amp;#x27;re lukewarm on the subject and unsure if they&amp;#x27;ll have kids. You? *Would you ever become an egg donor? Wait until you see how much eggs are selling for these days (shocking!) ... More Ways to Get Glamour Visit Shopglamour.com for cute stuff starting at just $10! Enter the latest Glamour sweepstakes! Follow us on Twitter Add us to your iGoogle homepage FREE Beauty Stuff! Enter for your Chance to Win a New Prize Every Day! Photo: istock; photo for illustrative purposes only "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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