Increasing expenditure, together with maintaining work-life balance are key reasons why as many as 35 per cent working mothers in urban India avoid considering a second child, a survey suggested on Friday.

A just-concluded survey conducted by ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation suggested that stresses of modern marriage, job pressures, and cost of raising children are key reasons why many mothers want to stop after their first child and decide not to add members to their family.

A random survey of 1,500 working mothers of single children, conducted ahead of Mother’s Day, celebrated on 2nd Sunday of May, was carried out in 10 cities – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai — during the past one month. The survey gauged how much time working mothers generally spent with their son/daughter, and their plans and reason for having/not having another child.

Of over 500 respondents, who do not want to have another child, many said they hesitated as their job/promotion might get jeopardised if they take another maternity leave.

Many respondents said they did not want another child to ensure undivided attention to their child, more so as gender is a common reason for favouring one child over another.

Interestingly, a majority of those who do not want another child said their spouse does not support their decision of stopping at one.

“The government should provide certain supportive measures/incentive such as reducing taxes for families/parents with a single child, so that single-child policy can be carried out in a better way,” opined many of these respondents.

But about 65 per cent of working women said they do not want their children to become lonely misfits and would rather make their kids understand the joys of sharing and companionship with a sibling.

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