"Sandler acknowledges that the topic of deliberate childlessness tends to centre only on women’s choices:
. . .
But it seems highly unrealistic to assume first-time fatherhood is on the cards for most childless 65-year-old men, so the absence of men in this discussion is probably about something more than simple biological differences.
More likely it’s a product of the ongoing discomfort with talking about the way men’s choices help shape women’s lives.
Unfortunately, leaving men out means ignoring the possibility that many men also want to live child-free lives, making it easier for women to make that choice themselves."
Technorati Tag: childfree
1 comment:
I recently read about this issue on another blog. I think one of the reasons childfree men are often ignored is because there's still an assumption that men begin their adult lives as childfree. It isn't very surprising to hear a man - especially if he's younger than 30 - say he doesn't want children. But, despite the recent focus on childfree women, it's still shocking to many people when a woman of ANY age admits that she doesn't ever want kids. Of course, that doesn't mean that ignoring childfree men is OK. I just think it relates more to old stereotypes of "independent" men feeling reluctant to become fathers, while us little women sadly pine for motherhood.
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