Childfree?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10786279 ----> Please read this article on Childfree lifestyle choices.


Having kids has long been an expectation for women. It wasn't a question of if but when? and how many?


Now with the invention of contraceptives, having children is more of an option. 
The stigma of saying you don't want to have kids is a big one. Women are looked down upon once they imply they may not want to have kids or worse yet if they flat out declare they don't want any. "It's only natural to have kids, its instinct, its your duty"- This is what women are told. Or other reactions are of pity , or "I bet you will change your mind". Other people ( most people) especially most women, feel that a woman cannot lead a happy , fulfilled life, without the feeling of "missing something" without having children. I have even been told by family that there is no point in living if you don't have kids.


I think wanting to have children is a great thing but women who choose not to should not be frowned upon. Choosing whether or not to have children is a personal decision, not public territory.


One thing I hate to hear is when woman or a couple who chooses not to have kids are deemed "selfish". On the other hand women who choose to have kids have also been called selfish. It is not more selfish to choose not to have kids than to have them. These are both lifestyle choices we are free to make and benefit from them in different ways.


Please read this interesting article posted above and all the comments made.