When are you going to give so and so a small sister or brother?
As if raising kids is a walk in the park. As if it costs 2 bob. As if labor pains are a joke. I can come up with a whole book on reasons why not to.
What a spectacular, chaotic time to be alive as a woman.
For most of human history, the life script was written in rigidity. Grow up, marry, reproduce…and reproduce again. Maybe throw in some hobbies if there was daylight left after tending to everyone else’s needs. But all that has changed. Marriage is no longer a do or die matter.
More women are choosing to put themselves first before everyone else. It could be their careers, their peace, their sleep. Even their soft lives takes centre stage than the annoying trivial issue of bringing a child to this world. More women are openly saying, “Motherhood? Maybe. Maybe not.” Studies predict that in the coming years, nearly half of women may be childfree. And the most interesting part is how proud they are of this fact, announcing it to the whole world on podcasts, reminding everyone at family dinners and letting their potential partners know about it on first dates. I mean, the earlier he leaves if that is a deal breaker for him, the better for everyone involved. We are not here to waste each other’s time.
And honestly? Good for them.
For the first time in history, a woman can look in the mirror and ask: What do I want? Not what does tradition or society demand of them. That question alone is revolutionary.
But what if the human race goes extinct?
Ah yes. The extinction argument. So what if it does? Let it, then.
Every time a woman says she doesn’t want children, someone appears like a concerned wildlife conservationist: “But what about the survival of humanity?” Is it a coincidence that these so called wildlife conservatives are almost always men?
Humanity, bless its heart, has survived plagues, wars, bad fashion eras, and the invention of low rise jeans. Humanity will be more than fine. Earth is overpopulated as it is.
Also, let’s be honest, human beings have been shitty. We pollute the earth, doze forests, destroy the ocean, start world wars (see what is currently happening) argue on the internet about pineapple on pizza and do abhorrable stuff to children like eipstien and his croonies did for years on end.
Still, this doesn’t mean we should go extinct. It just means the burden of preventing extinction does not rest solely on women’s wombs. Reproduction is not a patriotic duty. It’s a personal decision. Therefore, if fewer humans means less strain on a planet already sweating through climate change, then so be it.
The Curious Case of the Angry “Marriage Is Great for Women” Crowd
Now here’s the truly fascinating part.
For years, we’ve heard that women benefit the most from marriage. That marriage protects women and stabilizes them. We were told of how marriage gives women purpose and did absolutely nothing for men. That men are doing women a favor by committing, because they – men – benefit zilch from marriage.
So why is it that like clockwork, the moment a woman says, “You know what? I’m good. I don’t think marriage is for me,” some of those same voices become… upset.
If marriage is such a gift to women, shouldn’t men be relieved? Shouldn’t they shrug and say, “Well, that’s your loss”?
Instead, there’s outrage. A suspicious amount of podcast microphones being adjusted aggressively.
Why?
Because if women opt out freely, then marriage is no longer a default system but a mutual choice. And mutual choice means negotiation. Means power is shifting and therefore partnership must be desirable, not mandatory. It means men have to show up not as benefactors, but as equals.
When women no longer need marriage for survival, marriage has to compete with peace, solo vacations and – wait for it – sleeping diagonally across the bed.
There’s something deeply human about this moment. It’s not about hating men or dismantling families. It’s not about declaring babies passé. It’s about choice.
Some women will still choose marriage and motherhood joyfully and intentionally. Others will choose careers, art and travel. And, beautifully, both paths are valid. Both are full lives.
The difference now is that one is no longer considered incomplete without the other.
So Yes, It’s a Great Time
It’s a great time to be a woman who wants five children.
It’s a great time to be a woman who wants none.
It’s a great time to fall in love.
It’s a great time to fall in love with yourself.
It’s a great time to freeze eggs.
It’s a great time to freeze out nonsense.
Humanity will survive. Or it won’t. Who cares, really. Another set of Apes will come up and a new type of human species will start from scratch. But the idea that women must carry the entire species on their backs while also carrying the emotional labor of everyone in a is finally being retired.
