the childless woman

Carpe Diem Special #148, Ransetsu's "the childless woman"

No matter the culture it seems the purpose of a woman is to bear children.  Heaven forbid that she is unable to find a man to marry so she can be impregnated only in wedlock.  So what happens when the woman is physically unable to conceive or carry to term a child?  She must adopt or endure the pity and, at times, the condemnation of those around her.  What happens if no man comes along to be a mate for her?  She becomes the most unenviable of all, an old maid.  Now for just a moment consider the childless man ...... Are men met with the same stigma?

Gosh, that is a rather grumpy way of looking at childless people.  More and more humans are choosing to not procreate.  And that is a choice made possible by various birth control methods.  In a world where natural resources like water and clean air can be in short supply there is a lot to be said for opting out of procreation.  As for those people that truly desire a child but are unable to conceive or adopt, the emptiness can be numbing.

sitting, alone

listening to the silence

of no future

©  Janice Adcock

Thanks to Chèvrefeuille for daily prompts on 

CARPE DIEM HAIKU KAI