Harsh, Icy Bias
Few people probably realize this, but there is an austere bias against women who don't want to have children. I brought it up at a women's conference once in front of 600 businesswomen and the collective gasp from the audience was audible.
I love kids, I just don't want any of my own. That shocks people. Any time I say it, people laugh it off and tell me that I'll change my mind...like I'm some kind of horrible alien for not wanting to have kids.
I'm not at all scared of physically going through pregnancy and giving birth. In fact, I'd like to go through the process. That probably sounds really weird to people. But it's true. I just don't want to raise kids, they don't fit into the lifestyle I want to have. I don't want any beings dependent on me for survival - human, plant or animal.
Don't get me wrong, if ever my friends' kids or my siblings' kids needed a parent, I would step up in an instant. No little kid I love will ever be left alone in the world. That may seem contradictory, but it's true.
So, all in all it's a weird stance, huh? I know it shouldn't matter to me what other people think, but there is still a twinge of sting knowing the bias is out there.
Posted by Amanda at March 30, 2006 12:19 AM
