Modern mums twice as likely to want a girl than a boy

by My Kent Family reporter

It maybe a man’s world - but modern mums are twice as likely to want daughters over sons, a new study shows.

Two in five mothers said they wished for a girl while pregnant, compared to just 18% who hoped for a son.

But for fathers the reverse is true, with men a whopping three times more likely to want boys. A huge 31% of men expressed the preference to have sons, while only one in 10 wanted a daughter.

While four in five mums said they believe it’s normal to have a preference on the gender of your child, the report from parenting site ChannelMum.com revealed the subject is still strictly taboo with few families willing to admit it.

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The main reasons mums-to-be prefer a boy or a girl
The main reasons mums-to-be prefer a boy or a girl

Of the 2,189 mums polled, over a third didn’t tell anyone they had a gender preference, and just under half confided in their partner. Only a third admitted their feelings to their own family.

However, the desire for a certain sex is so strong that only 18% of mums claimed to feel ‘guilty’ for wanting their favoured gender.

Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com said: “Boy or girl - every child is a blessing but the issue of gender disappointment is something we need to talk about and bring into the open.

Four in five mums said they believe it’s normal to have a preference on the gender of your child
Four in five mums said they believe it’s normal to have a preference on the gender of your child

“With mums and dads often at odds about the gender the really want, one parent will usually end up disappointed so we have to ensure families have the support they need to bond with their baby.

"It’s worth remembering a child isn’t their gender - they are their own people with their own personality. So whatever the gender, let your child be who they are, not what you hoped them to be.”

The study also showed parents are now so desperate to discover their child’s gender that almost two thirds of parents find out at a scan, while only 38 per cent remain on ‘Team Yellow’ - the modern code for not finding out your baby’s gender until birth.

Two in five mothers said they wished for a girl while pregnant
Two in five mothers said they wished for a girl while pregnant

And 35%t of pregnant mums now plan ‘gender reveal’ events or parties complete with pink or blue-hued balloons and cakes.

However, a quarter of mums quizzed admitted to feeling ‘very disappointed’ if their child was the ‘wrong’ gender.

This disappointment means 41% of mums say they tried for second child to get ‘right’ sex, while 26% opted for a third and 10% kept going for four or more children.

A further 6% would even fly abroad for gender selection IVF which is currently illegal in the UK.

Worryingly, 18% of families have had negative comments on the gender mix of their children, with close family and mother-in-laws most likely to make rude jibes, followed by strangers and then friends.

The study also unveiled the nation’s ideal family as one girl and one boy, voted for by 54% of mums quizzed.

But 15 per cent of mums claim the growing celebrity trend to have 'pink and blue twins' - like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez - is putting pressure on normal mums.

Two in five mums polled said the ‘PBT’ phenomenon is being used to make working mums to have an ‘instant family’ and take less time away from the workplace, and 15% had even felt pressured to try for mixed-sex twins themselves.

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