New parents in the UK admit to feeling ‘gender disappointment’ if their child is the ‘wrong’ sex
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“It’s worth remembering a child isn’t their gender.”
A quarter of mums in the UK admit to feeling “very disappointed” if their child is the “wrong” sex - ie. not the sex they’d hoped for.
A further 3% said this affected their ability to bond with their child long term and 6% would consider flying abroad for gender selection IVF, which is currently illegal in the UK.
Mothers are twice as likely to want daughters over sons, the survey of 2,189 UK mums from parenting site ChannelMum.com found. While dads are three times more likely to want a baby boy.
ChannelMum’s founder, Siobhan Freegard, believes it is important this feeling is spoken about openly, but adds that understanding a child is not defined by their sex can help new parents to overcome this feeling of disappointment.
“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,” said Freegard.
“With mums and dads often at odds about the gender the...
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