I wasn't that interested kids, until I met my husband. Vaguely, sure, babies are cute, but I hardly ever thought about it. My mind was full of romance, not pregnancy.

I'd argue that women are still looking for protection and provision, from men, but they've moved higher up the Maslow Pyramid in their needs. Instead of protection being "defend me from bears and raiding tribes", it's "make sure we can afford to live in a safe neighborhood". Instead of "slay mammoth, so that we survive the winter", it's "help with the dishes, so that I can finish this presentation tonight and get a raise", or "bring home enough income that a difficult pregnancy doesn't run down our savings.".

Another thing is that women are now actively looking for signs of non-protection and non-provision. Men who are lazy, unhelpful, indifferent, spendthrift, drunks, violent, unfaithful, etc. are judged much more harshly today, than in the past. Adding a man to her life can now likely diminish the quality of her existence, rather than raising it, so he has to offer a lot more.