modern family
As children it seemed simple: meet your person, have a family. But what happens when you don’t meet that person but still desperately want a child? Stylist meets four single women who navigated their desire for parenthood in different ways
For most of us, the expectation that we will one day become a mother is hard-baked into our earliest memories. While boys were being superheroes, girls were pushed towards dolls, dinky prams and fairy tales that repeated the same happily ever after: she got married and started a family of her own. What no one prepares us for is the possibility of not having this family unit one day, even when we really want it. Of course, not all of us do want it. Many of us grow up and realise that motherhood is not for us – and thankfully the narrative around what makes a family is starting to shift beyond the traditional (read: heteronormative) man, woman and 2.5 kids. A recent study by University College London found that most childfree adults in the UK aged 18-45 either do want children or haven’t ruled them out. But the heart-breaking reality for many is the chance it won’t be possible for medical reasons. There is also the equally difficult – but far less talked about – reality of just not finding the right partner in time. Because time, we are told (by relatives, doctors and adverts for at-home fertility tests that follow us relentlessly around the internet) is Running Out. It can feel oppressive, especially if you’re single and in your 30s. Often, people around you are starting families, yet society says you
