babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Men Happier With Oops Pregnancies Than Women
When an accidental pregnancy crops up, conventional wisdom points to women accepting it, men freaking out. Not anymore.
A new study from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy claims men are significantly more likely to respond positively to an accidental pregnancy than women. Perhaps because they don’t have to carry it?
The numbers are very telling. Using a probability sample of one thousand eight hundred unmarried men and women age eighteen to twenty-nine, the study determined:
“Even among those who say it is important to them to avoid pregnancy right now, 20% of women and 43% of men say they would be at least a little pleased if they found out today that they or their partner were pregnant.”
The men were also significantly more likely to say they’d put themselves in a situation where an accidental pregnancy might happen – forty-two percent said it was “at least slightly likely” they would have unprotected sex in the next three months vs. twenty-nine percent of women.
So what does this mean for society? For starters it turns that notion on its head that women are baby hungry, men anti-father. It would also seem to point to women being slightly more proactive about prevention.
Perhaps most upsetting about this is how many people still admit to having sex without protection – even when they don’t intend to have a baby. It’s called family planning, folks, getting ready financially and emotionally to have a baby. And that means getting on the same page about pregnancy.
Guys, if you’d be secretly pleased with this kind of oops, it behooves you to tell your female companion. Ladies, think he’s a little too lax with the contraception, for goodness sakes say something. You’re creating a human, not a plaything.
More by this author:
Go Back To Strollerderby
11 Comments
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Mar 02 10 at 5:18 pmFunny. My husband took the news that I was knocked up again much better than I did.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Mar 02 10 at 5:33 pmYup, I’m in my second trimester. Two under two, so I should be sufficiently insane by fall.
BlackOrchid commented on Mar 02 10 at 5:36 pmcongratulations Mistress Scorpio! I had two 19 months apart – it’s actually really awesome. other than the part where you lose your mind of course, heh heh heh
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Mar 02 10 at 6:23 pmThanks, BlackOrchid!
PlumbLucky commented on Mar 03 10 at 7:50 amMine did the same Mistress…he was all shmoopy whoopy and happy, whilst I was freaking over it and mentally trying to figure out HOW pregnant I was and how far apart our babes would be (survey later said: t’was 7 weeks at that point, and 21 months). Gonna be a crazy summer at our place. So based on what you’ve said and what I’ve seen, I can say that yes…men can indeed be happier with a “whoopsie”.
LOL @ sufficiently insane. I already feel that way!!!
Louise commented on Mar 03 10 at 12:42 pmI gave birth to my third in December…one week before her older brother’s 2nd birthday. Good, crazy times at our house right now! Congratulations and good luck to both mommies-to-be!
Our third was not so much an “oops” baby as an “oh, so the equipment really *does* work on its own” baby, given that our first two were conceived with assistance. I think this contributed to my husband being just as happy as I was about it…we had thought our pretty-much-unexplained fertility problems were on his end and were not planning on a third, but whadayaknow?!?!
ChiLaura commented on Mar 03 10 at 3:09 pmI believe it. I almost burst into tears when I took the pregnancy test with #3 (#1 was 2.5 at the time, #2, 16 mos; I wanted another 5 mos or so before getting pregnant). I felt like my husband was talking me down from a ledge. Now, of course, I spoil #3, but I was NOT HAPPY. Hubs couldn’t wait for another little chubby baby to hug.
ChiLaura commented on Mar 03 10 at 3:30 pmOh, and M_S: M first 2 are 15.5 mos apart (that was actually planned) and I really, really like it. I could actually remember what I’d one with #1 that had worked and try with #2. Now, with #3, I already feel that I’ve forgotten so much! They’re best buds now. You won’t be insane, you’ll be fine.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Mar 03 10 at 8:58 pmCongrats on your third, Louise! And thanks, ChiLaura. It’s much appreciated to hear other’s success stories with babies close in age. I think I keep thinking of things in terms as being as clueless the first time around, but you brought up a very good point. I will already know some stuff to try, I won’t freak out at every squeak the baby makes in his/her sleep and I won’t ponder over the contents of every diaper wondering if the texture is some sort of evil sign!
it still works commented on Mar 04 10 at 9:59 amThe male-pride thing can kick in–not sure exactly what it means since I’ve never been a father-to-be, but it seems like some men see the surprise pregnancy as a badge of manhood.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
11