Just this week, a mature female celebrity announced with glee her advanced pregnancy. She posted demure pictures of her baby bump on Instagram. Expectedly, her colleagues celebrated with her.
She’s in her 40s, divorced and single for a long period. Not everyone is lucky to get pregnant at that age without medical complications.
I recently stumbled on a program on television and I was arrested by the raw emotions of the guest. She talked about the biological clock attached to women by nature. According to her, she was largely unaware of this reality until she turned 42.
As she put it, I was busy building my career and I put off marriage and childbearing to later on in life. “When I felt comfortable with the trajectory of my career and desired marriage there were no suitors available”.
She then decided to pursue solo pregnancy and discovered she had multiple medical challenges.
She was 45 when she appeared on that television programme with 2 published books advocating early marriage and childbearing for career women.
She has made it her life mission to educate more women about the biological clock. She said, no woman should experience the same pain and emptiness she’s going through.
For free, I posit that women have been sold a lie that career advancement is the only goal after college. And that women and men are equally matched in the race to the top. Such that they’re made to sign obnoxious contracts delaying marriage or conception.
Meanwhile, career focused men are supported by their wives while their female counterparts postpone family life until they climb the ladder of success.
There are today more women that are accomplished in their careers only to realise that they desire family life as well.
Going forward, there’s an urgent need for reorientation of female professionals by older female opinion leaders such as yours truly.
There should be a push back of one size fits all mindless pursuit of career goals to the detriment of personal desires.
This leads to a clarion call for the emergence of more female business owners and builders. Those who understand the peculiar nature and needs of women.
That’s it’s okay to be an entrepreneur and still make babies.
That it’s okay to study for Masters or PhD while married or pregnant.
Women’s Empowerment blueprint:
- More grants for women founders
- More creches in offices
- More volunteering grandmas
- More training for college graduates
- Add yours…
What do you think? Please join this conversation and send your comments and feedback on this and other topics to mooborscounsellingroom@gmail.com
By Mubo Okosun
Women’s Editor
