ABSTRACT
Women professional growth, among other social and cultural changes, has modified the standards of families in the contemporary world. One of these standards refers to the postponement of motherhood, and how couples experience this decision in the marital relationship. This study aimed to understand the decision of couples, especially women, to delay parenting, and how this decision influences the marital relationship. The research is qualitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive. Sixteen heterosexual married individuals participated in a semi-structured interview. The analysis of the interviews was performed through content analysis, from which emerged three categories: (a) Financial issue in the parental process: 'can we afford having a child?', (b) Attempt of control versus surprise of pregnancy, and (c) Late pregnancy and calmness in the conjugal relationship. There was a significant concern with respect to the financial security to get pregnant, besides the couples’ desire to control the appropriate time to pregnancy, and emotional maturity experienced by the interviewees related to late pregnancy. Regarding the conjugal relationship, couples manifested that it brought unity and understanding.
Keywords:
Women professional growth; late pregnancy; conjugal relationship.