Aqui vai a transcrição de um programa da NBC sobre mulheres sem filhos. Prometo que quando sobrar um tempinho eu
traduzirei os trechos mais importantes e postarei aqui.
"Back now at 8:46 with more of our special
"today's" woman series. This morning the choices we make. A growing
number of women are choosing to be child free. And although it may go against
conventional wisdom many say their lives are equally as fulfilling. Sarah
Brokaw, a licensed psychotherapist and author of "Fortytude."
She loved playing with dolls, star baby sitter in the neighborhood. when it
came to wanting children one day, she had very different ideas.
I really
enjoyed being around children. But even when i was young, I just kind of knew
in the back of my head it wasn't something that I wanted.
Reporter: and she's not alone. according to a recent pew center study
nearly one in five american women in their childbearing years without giving
birth. Up from one in ten in the 1970s. As a freelance writer, she discussed
her choice of being child free and she says the responses from readers came as
no surprise.
I was expecting people to tell me that i was selfish. I get that all the time.
I was expecting people to tell me that i was less of a woman because that's
something that i get all the time.
Reporter: so why does society pass judgment on women who choose not to
have children?
Society expects that one of the main transitions and roles that we should
aspire to are to be mothers. The bottom line is, it is a choice and for women,
we don't have to feel like motherhood is a rite of passage that we necessarily
have to have.
Reporter: freedom, independence, and fulfillment in other aspects of life have
led some women today to choose a child-free lifestyle. But for many of these
women, there are still moments of doubt. You're very convincing in your
argument being made about choosing not to have children at this point in life,
but have there been any moments within the past few years about any
second-guessing?
I think the problem for me is that as an older sibling i always felt like it
was my job to be the one who had children.
Reporter: Dr. Taylor says self doubt is typical.
There's no question that they experience self doubt, but they have made a
conscious decision that to be a woman and to live a fulfilled life, having a
child doesn't necessarily have to be a factor in that.
Reporter: a feeling she agrees with.
I would love to get married. I would love to have a life partner. I think
there's a difference between two adults consciously choosing to spend their
lives together versus two adults deciding to bring a third person into the
situation.
Sarah brokaw is now with us this morning along with Laura Scott who wrote the
book "Two is enough", a couple's guide
to living childless by choice." good morning.
Good morning.
Let's start with you and ask you about this idea. What are the stereotypes that
you think need to be overcome today?
Well, there's the stereotype, as we mentioned, that you're motivated by
selfishness, that you're sort of cold, heartless, and that, you know, you
really are not focused on the common good that you're focused entirely on your
own self, self value. so that is really one of the issues. the other thing is
there is the assumption that you're going to change your mind, that this is
some kind of phase that you're going through, that, you know, you're going to
hit a wall, that hormonal combustion at 35 or 36 and all of a sudden you're
going to change your mind and everything you've chosen for yourself.
And you hear a lot about this in your practice.
i do. i also hear, it's interesting that you're saying that
because i think there is a mixture of women that i get in my practice, i think
there are a lot of women who do not necessarily want to have kids but they
don't know what their calling is. there's the other group of women who would
like to have children but they've had a great amount of difficulty. so it's
interesting to get both.
All right. so, we have all met people who maybe shouldn't have become parents,
okay?
Right.
So maybe we should rethink how much we pressure people into having children.
Absolutely.
So what is the road past these stereotypes based on your efforts to study this
situation?
I think you really have to find out exactly what your role is going to be,
because motherhood is -- some people might call it a calling but really it's a
role, it's not a being. so i think we -- i coach women and couples on
reproductive decision making. that's one of the things, what are your values,
what is your role that you want to adopt and how do you want to go forward,
because motherhood is not the only path to adulthood, maturity, fulfillment,
purpose for life.
Exactly what is the road? if it's a road that we're not able to see, what is
the road to the things we just heard Laura describe?
I think it's about women really figuring out where their energy levels are,
what is their authentic voice telling them. and it may not be about mothering
but it could be a calling that's related to children. that could be being a
teacher, social worker, congresswomen, nurse practitioner, physician. they feel
like what happens is that society looks at women as child bearers. and that's
how we're supposed to define our success as women. we're not necessarily. i
think there are other ways in which women can relate to children but it doesn't
necessarily mean that they have to be moms.
All right. these are very good points. Thank you so much for giving us some
sense, a greater clarity on this.
