Advantages And Disadvantages Of Pronatalism

Introduction

“Although women today have greater options through education than their mothers and grandmothers ever dreamed of, the view persists that the real vocation of women is mother: It’s the natural thing” (Senior, 1991). The writer opines that the statement put forward by Senior still holds merit today as we live in a society that favours pronatalism. Pronatalism refers to any attitudes or policies which encourage reproduction and exalt the role of parenthood (Peck, 1972). Pronatalism makes assertions about what provides a woman’s ultimate fulfilment in life, and what her destiny will be.

The forces of pronatalism are significant to women as it is the philosophy responsible for the persistent idea that a woman’s destiny and ultimate fulfilment is entrenched in childbearing and motherhood. Furthermore, pronatalism focuses on the advantages of having children while minimizing the disadvantages (Veevers, 1980). It creates the mother hood mandate the idea that regardless of whatever she chooses to do in life, a woman’s role must involve maternity (Russo,1976).

Pronatalism comes at women from every angle, from the religious command to mother, to psychological theories which define maternity as a requirement for healthy female psychological development (Daniluk, 1999). Similarly it is at work in the media,

In fact, some writers would argue that it is a part of God’s plan from the beginning. As he admonishes that women should train and nurture godly children (MacArthur, 2005). Moreover, some infertile women take this admonition seriously as they seek alternative ways to ensure they fulfil the mandate of becoming a mother. These alternatives include hiring a surrogate mother. “A surrogate mother is a woman who becomes pregnant usually by artificial insemination or surgical implantation of a fertilized egg for the purpose of carrying the foetus to term for another woman” (Merriam