Dramatic rise of over 60% in women choosing to become solo mums by choice

If you choose to become a single mother, rest assured that you are far from alone. Data from the HFEA, the UK regulator of the fertility industry, shows more and more women are making that choice. 

In 2019, 3147 single women in the UK received fertility treatment with donor sperm, either through IVF or insemination. In 2022, the number had risen to 5084 - an increase of 61.55%.  

The majority of these women received IVF treatment. In 2019, that was the case for 62% of them. In 2022, 69.79% of the women was treated with IVF. 

No data is available on how many of these treatments resulted in children. Instead, we can look at how many single mothers there are in the UK overall. 

According to data from the Office for National Statistics, over 2.7 million families in the UK were headed by a single mother in 2023. That’s an increase of 10.24% since 2019.  

All in all, 23,8% of all UK families with children living at home were headed by a single mother in 2023 – that is almost 1 in 4 families. 

These numbers reflect both women, who have chosen to start a family on their own as well as women, who are single because of separation or other life circumstances. 

Single mothers by choice are generally in their 30s or early 40s when they start a family. They are often well-educated and in stable employment. This has been found in several studies over the years as mentioned in this scientific article in the Journal of Family Psychology.  

That mirrors what we see among our customers in European Sperm Bank. In 2023, 38% of our UK customers were single women. On average, they were 39 years old, which has been quite constant over the past five years, where the average age has been between 38 and 40.

There are many valid reasons for choosing solo motherhood. In a study from 2022, 19 British single mothers by choice were interviewed about their motivations. These were their answers: 

I wanted to be a mother: 8 (42%) 
I was getting older/time was running out: 4 (21%) 
Timing felt right: 2 (11%) 
All my friends were having children: 1 (5%) 
Other: 4 (21%)  

That echoes what we at European Sperm Bank hear from the aspiring solo mothers we talk to. Many originally wanted to have a child with a partner but are single and decide to take their future into their own hands rather than wait for something that may or may not happen. 

Some people may still think that children of solo mothers have a more difficult experience growing up. However, research thoroughly debunks this myth. In fact, both single mothers by choice and their children report high levels of well-being and experience less conflict in the home. 

An explanation for this could be, that women choosing to have children on their own often have spent a lot of time considering the pros and cons, researching and preparing themselves and their lives for a child, and their children are very much wished for. 

Read more about what science says about the well-being of children of solo mothers here.