Men are almost as likely as women to want children, and they
feel more isolated, depressed, angry and sad than women if they don’t have them,
a new study says.
The research, presented at the British Sociological
Association annual conference in London today [Wednesday 3 April], also showed
that cultural and family expectations were among the main influences on men’s
wish to have children.
Robin Hadley, of Keele University, carried out a survey of
27 men and 81 women who were not parents to ask them if they wanted to have
children and why. Mr Hadley found that 59% of men (16) and 63% of women (51)
said they wanted children.