Boyd MarkhamMelanie Whitehouse, now a 57-year-old author, had always dreamed of having a perfect husband and a spectacular wedding, yet today she finds herself among a large group of women who are called “Generation Childless”.
These women were raised in the Sixties and Seventies, riding a wave of higher education, more equality, and sexual freedom. However, many of these women have paid the price, as latest statistics show that women in their mid-40’s are almost twice as likely to be without children as the generation that raised them.
And it’s not medical infertility that’s causing this. According to them, it’s men.
Melanie Whitehouse is certain that the cause of her childlessness is indeed men. Or rather, the lack of men who were willing to settle down and start a family with her. She says that a reunion date with her first boyfriend, whom she dumped on a whim, made the realization that she would never have children set in.
“I hadn’t grieved for the children who might have been until then. I realized with painful clarity what I’d lost,” she says. “Tom had been happily married for 25 years and had three kids, while I had nobody.”
According to clinical psychologist Dr. Jeremy Hibberd, he says, “Despite societal changes, women are still expected to conceive. It’s a huge loss when that doesn’t happen.”
Whitehouse’s journey has certainly been a painful one, as she just seemed to meet the wrong type of man as the years progressed. She continually found herself with men who didn’t want to commit to marriage and raising a family, as societal norms about sex shifted. Now, sex before marriage is the norm, and according to Melanie, this has played a large role in not being able to find the right guy.
However, she doesn’t blame men entirely, as she admits she made plenty of poor romantic decisions, which included pushing plenty of men away. LOL whose fault is that?
Other women blame the “urge to succeed” in their careers as a greater source of fulfillment, and never filled a void where children and a family should have been. But I thought you guys wanted equal rights in the workplace…
Whatever the reason for their childless life, women are quick to blame one thing: men.
H/T Daily Mail
