Motherhood No Longer A Woman’s Most Important Role

As recent as 30 years ago most young women envisioned their adult lives revolving around getting married and having children. Teenage girls would make lists of their future babies’ potential names while dreaming about raising a family in a quiet suburb. Luckily we no longer live in the 1980’s and the traditional societal roles of women have changed significantly. While there is still significant pressure on women of a certain age to settle down and start a family, more are choosing to shun these expectations and journey on at their own pace. Refraining from having children is slowly becoming less frowned-upon as it is becoming more evident that women fulfill other roles, apart from motherhood, in humanity.

The role of career woman

Welcome to the 21st century where women are exercising their right to not have children and are also becoming more ambitious than ever before. The days where women were only employed as waitresses, pin-up models and personal assistants are long over. Today, countless members of the fairer sex rise to the top in their respective careers, making headways as CEOs, doctors, lawyers, engineers and even astronauts. A majority of women who refrain from having children do not experience the same income and career advancement opportunity losses as those who do opt to become mothers. Many high-profile careers entail long working hours and frequent traveling, both of which can become extremely distressing if you have a small child to care for at home. Women who choose to pursue a career in lieu of having children are not selfish, they are merely choosing an alternative life journey to the one society (unfairly) expects of us.

The role of a happy, well-rounded woman

There are many reasons why women choose to not have children. Perhaps they want to focus on their careers as previously discussed or maybe they want to travel the world with their partners. Perhaps they don’t feel they will be good mothers or that the world in its current state is not one that children should be brought into. Women who refrain from having children are not, contrary to popular belief, shunning their maternal instincts at all. There is absolutely no scientific proof that a woman who does not have children cannot be inherently nurturing. Childless women are often happily married or in a blissful relationship. Childless women also often choose to have pets whom they care for deeply and are great aunts to their nieces and nephews, and even godparents to the beloved children of friends and family. Many women without children live perfectly happy and accomplished lives, disproving the belief that children make life worth living.

There are two things all women need to remember: It is not selfish to not want children and it is possible to live a happy, fulfilled life without the pitter-patter of little feet in your home. You have not failed as a woman because you don’t have a child, you have succeeded because you have the courage to pursue your own dreams despite what the world expects of you.

Thanks to Jane Sandwood