Men and women have differing opinions when the question of having children arises. Over the past decade, American birth rates have dropped significantly, with many young couples choosing to have children later or not at all. New data, however, shows this desire for children is shifting even more, as fewer women want to have children. 

New figures from the Pew Research Center find that of Americans aged 18 to 34, 69 percent who have not been married would still like to marry at some point, while 23 percent are not sure, and 8 percent do not want to get married. 

Meanwhile, the number of people in this age group who don’t have children would like to start a family someday. Just over 51 percent of people aged 18 to 34 who are not parents report wanting to have children someday, while 33 percent say they are not sure about having children, and 18 percent don’t want them at all. 

There is a battle between the sexes when it comes to wanting children, with 57 percent of men without children reporting they would like to have children one day and just 45 percent of women said they want children someday. 

Many factors are pushing women to choose not to have children. The cost of raising children, health care costs, geopolitical factors, and lack of access to reproductive care are among the reasons women are saying no to having children. 

Changing family dynamics and less pressure on young people to have kids are making the decision easier for some young people. Approximately 73 percent reported they don’t feel pressure to have children from their parents, while 15 percent said they felt some pressure, and 12 percent said they felt a lot of pressure. 

Marriage is also not a priority for young people the way it was in the past. More than 20 percent of respondents said that marriage was extremely important to them, and only 22 percent said having children was extremely important. 

Careers are topping the list of priorities for young people, with a strong 68 percent reporting that having a job they enjoy was extremely important to them, while 62 percent said having close friends was their priority.