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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3722830.stmParents-to-be shun marriage vows Nearly half of all pregnant women and expectant fathers no longer think it important to be married before having a baby, a survey suggests.
The Pregnancy & Birth magazine questioned 2,000 pregnant women and their partners.
Only 55% of women and 52% of men believe it is better for them to be married, it found.
But the men wanted overwhelmingly to be involved fathers - with 95% believing they were as important as mothers.
In addition, a total of 96% of the men surveyed believed they share the same rights to the child as the mother should the relationship fail - and nine out of 10 women fundamentally agreed with them.
Commitment "What couples are saying is that the marriage certificate today is not as important as their commitment to each other and to their children," said Kaye McIntosh, editor of Pregnancy & Birth magazine.
"The dad's role is considered as just as important by both the men and women, and that is quite striking.
"Lots of the men want a hands-on-role and would love to stay at home and look after the kids if they were financially able to."
This desire for a 'hands-on' role was also shown by the third of fathers-to-be who felt paternity leave should be 10 weeks long.
However, the vast majority of men wished their baby's mother could be 'a stay at home mum' with a total of 87% saying it bothered them if they could not be the total breadwinner.
The Pregnancy & Birth Relationship and Fatherhood Survey 2004, which aimed to chart the changing face of parenthood, suggests the complicated nature of modern relationships.
Almost a quarter of the pregnant women questioned said they would most likely be a single mother - including 13% who did not think their relationship would last.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/3722830.stmPublished: 2004/10/07 23:19:29 GMT
