Women in Britain are deferring motherhood as they pursue the desire to own a home first, a new survey has revealed.

According to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which has unveiled its findings in ‘Becoming a Mother – Understanding women’s choices today’, rather than the commonly held belief that women are today putting careers ahead of parenthood, it is a desire to have a secure home, coupled with a stable relationship and financial security which dictate women’s deferral.

‘Becoming a Mother’ surveyed 1,000 women aged 20 to 40 who, although without children, agreed that they planned to or were open to having children. Of these, 82% cited being in the right relationship as a key factor in waiting for motherhood, 77% cited financial security, and 40% said it was important to have their own home first.

Fully 89% of the women polled said they are aware of the increased risk linked to older pregnancies and many admitted to a feeling of ‘running out of time’ in this regard. Such an anxiety even affected younger women, with 12% of 20- to 24-year-olds admitting this, a figure increasing to 32% of women aged 25 to 29.