(image: Valentina Conde: Unsplash)

Women that don’t have children will often be on the receiving end of the big question of when they’re going to start having children. But, there are some women who simply don’t want to have children, and all of them are extremely valid. However, some don’t understand this concept, and if you’re wondering why someone would ever feel like that, you’ve come to the right place. While no woman should ever have to explain herself, we’re going to explore some of the reasons why a woman wouldn’t want to become a mother.

Health problems

For some women, the choice to have children may be taken away from them due to health concerns. It might be that they can’t have children because of their health, or it might even be that becoming pregnant could endanger their health. And, while there are many avenues when it comes to having children, such as surrogacy or adoption, some women would simply prefer to carry their child themselves. When this isn’t possible, they may then choose to not have children at all.

A painful history

Sadly, some women will have a difficult or painful history that might put them off the idea of having children all together. It might be that they’ve grown up with abusive parents and don’t want to make the same mistakes. Or, it could be that they’ve been through something extremely traumatic like rape, and would rather not bring that kind of history into their children’s lives, especially if they experienced a life long injury because of it. Instead, they may speak with a sexual offence solicitor and bring the offender to justice, and then move on with their lives.

They don’t want to bring a child into this world

Every person thinks about this at some point or another, and some women will choose not to bring a child into this world if they don’t believe they can provide them with a safe and happy upbringing. Others may look at the world, citing the sense of war, environment and poverty as a reason to question whether it’s a good idea to bring a child into this world.

Giving up a social life and less freedom

Another concern that some women have and choose not to give up is their social life or freedom to travel. While times have changed compared to, say, fifty years ago, it’s still common for the mother to stay at home with the child while the partner goes out to work. While it’s not impossible to have a social life when you’re a mother, it’s certainly not as easy. And, for some, this plus freedom to live the life they want to live is simply not something they want to give up.

Career priorities

Women have just as much of a right to have a successful career as men do, and some women choose to prioritise their career over having children. A career can sometimes take decades to climb and some don’t want to have time off to have children and juggle their work.

This article was written by a freelance writer.