You know what's cute? Babies. You know what else is cute? The handsome stranger eyeing you from the end of a bar in Milan, where you're able to vacation because you don't have any kids to cramp your whimsical style. Being child-free has its pros and cons, just like starting a family, but it carries a wide range of stigmas and assumptions in our society, most of which stem from the idea that people who decide not to have kids are somehow incomplete. These stereotypes tend to center on women: The "crazy cat lady" (which is doubly problematic for its stigmitization of mental illness), the "lonely career woman," and so on. Motherhood is simply seen as the norm.
However, a growing number of women are choosing not to have children. In 2010, a study by the Pew Research Center reportedthat almost one in five American women never have a child, compared to one in 10 women in the '70s. Despite the perception that childless women are unhappy with their situation, research has shown they don't tend to feel distressed about it — although they do feel pressure from family and friends to procreate.
Obviously, choosing to have kids is up to you and your partner if you have one, and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. But if you'd like some validation from other people enjoying the child-free life, here are 14 quotes about choosing not to have kids.
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— Debbie Harry
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