Less human, apparently...

Over the last few years, I've developed a very thick skin about being childfree. I think it's necessary for anyone who makes a choice not to have children because it's coming, the inevitable questioning, followed by pity. Before a few years ago, I had no idea how it was. I told people I didn't want children and they questioned that decision, but I was just young enough that it didn't matter, people were willing to say, "you have time to change your mind." Now that I'm in my early 30's the questions are more frequent and the responses more vigorous. People seem to think I'm running out of time. Yes, I am, which is a good thing. I personally don't think anyone should have babies after 35, it's not healthy --even if some ol' granny in Britain just gave birth to a healthy baby.

Then, last night, while dropping by Childfree Clique, I found this article: "Why bosses are right to distrust women who don't want children...." I read it and I can honestly say that I was more angered and insulted by this piece of garbage journalism than I have been by any other single piece of mommy propaganda I've ever read. It's not that she's so pro-mommy, it's that she's so anti-childfree she's willing to say that we're less human than mommies. The article says a study has found that women without children are "lacking essential humanity." She never cites her source, there's no link to the "study" that calls us inhuman (though I know it's been done, as this isn't the first I've heard of it), which is constitutes plagiarism, honestly (sorry, English major -- Even if I can't spell). She goes on to say that the childfree are "the cold, the calculating, the sad and the mad."

I was pretty damn sad after reading that article. I was angry at having been called less human (and still am). Calculating? Cold? This woman writes an article in which she attacks women who're making a personal decision, affecting themselves and NO ONE else, and we're calculating and cold? That's the pot calling the kettle black. Honestly, I knew it was going to be bad when, in the first paragraph, she begins with a contradiction. She says that she "[likes] to trumpet the importance of a woman's right to choose all things at all times" and then says that she considers childfree women "weird." The rest of the article goes on to prove that her initial assertion, that she's pro-choice for women under all circumstances, is false. She proves herself a liar from the outset and expects to be taken seriously.

Furthermore, this woman's mis-portrayal of childfree women as office whores who arrive late and drunk/hungover couldn't be more insulting. We're not all 19 year old party girls or college students who party too much. Most of us are grown up, responsible adults. But, if we wanted to go out and drink now and then, guess what, we could! We don't have have rugrats to chase around. The fact remains, most of us don't, we're responsible people, just like everyone else, we just don't want kids. What's worse is, the article sets that against this 1950's sitcom image of mothers who're up at dawn every day baking biscuits for their brats before shuffling them off to school. Please be kidding? Nope, she's not.

There are so many problems with this article, I could go on and on. She says that taking a sick baby to the clinic is experience enough to make mothers capable of work related tasks. Several comparisons are made between raising children and being capable employees. What happened to working hard and earning experience? Apparently, that's out in favor of some magical, motherly common sense. She goes on to say that the uncited "study" shows that bosses are increasingly distrusting childfree women as cold and calculating and therefore are hiring more mothers to offset this.

I'm disgusted at the nerve of people. She's entitled to her opinion, it's her liberty to say what she likes, but the moment she called me less human (and didn't cite her source), her credibility went out the window. She didn't just make the childfree look bad, she made herself and all mothers look bad. If that was her goal, she succeeded.

Quick Update: I looked into it and the apparent "study" was done by one Dr. Caroline Gatrell. Also, you might be interested in this article, "Childless is not a synonym for weird," by Ruth Sunderland. She actually defends the right to be childfree with eloquence.