60 percent of Chinese working women prefer one child

The report, released on Sunday by Chinese job recruitment site Zhaopin.com, also found that of 29.39 percent of women who have not given birth, 20.48 percent said they don't want a child, China Daily reported.

Zhaopin surveyed 14,290 working women. Asked why they do not want to have a child, more than 56 percent of interviewees cited the cost. The second concern was the amount of time, energy and attention involved. Other concerns included career risks, the pain of childbirth and little faith in their marriages.

More than 70 percent said they would not consider leaving their jobs to become mothers, while only 18.53 percent said they would take this into account.

Wang Yixin, a senior consultant at Zhaopin, said most career women think it is impossible to live solely on their husbands' paychecks.

"Other reasons involve their own ambitions. They fear that if they stop working, they will become isolated from a dynamic society and lose their career prospects," Wang said.

Peng Xi, 29, a marketing employee for a pharmaceutical company, has been married for two years and still hasn't decided whether to have a child.

"My mother has urged me to have a child before I'm 30. However, raising a child in Beijing is a huge financial burden," she said.

Peng is also worried about losing promotion opportunities, a concern shared by many women worldwide.