To breed or not to breed

Woman's Hour web page

The Woman’s Hour web page

…is not the question. Instead, it seems to be when? The BBC Radio 4 programme Woman’s Hour discussed the subject of “late motherhood” the other day, and all kinds of passionate opinions were expressed during the phone-in about the dilemma faced by modern women in choosing between children and a career.

Isn’t it odd how the tables have turned? Twenty years ago, when my generation was just about to graduate from university, preganancy was almost the worst thing that could happen to a girl. Now, the inability to have children is the great tragedy of my age group. From one extreme to the other in 20 years. Hindsight is often considered a wonderful thing, but what will we tell our daughters to do when it’s their turn to choose?