There are certain things that seem to be expected of us as we get older. We are expected to get a job, get married, and have a family with children.
More recently, there have been many women who decided they would not have children. They all have their own reasons, but they may be associated with financial security, focusing on one’s self, or even concern over the population.
One woman in Vancouver, Jackie Dives has decided that she would remain childless. The 39-year-old photographer wants to focus on her creative work, and she often talks about not having children on social media.
Jackie wanted to normalize her decision to not have children, so she runs a vlog on TikTok to speak to others about it.
In an interview, she said: “I was surprised by how many people have commented that they experienced the same thing. I think the root cause of this is that everyone tells women they will change their mind. You might have a strong conviction that you don’t want kids, but if everyone in your life is telling you that you will change your mind or that you will regret not having them, it can be very difficult to walk away from someone you love to stay true to your convictions.”
She went on to say: “People need to stop asking women when they will have kids. Women need to be encouraged to do whatever the hell they want with their lives. Like any stigma, the more we normalize it, the better it will get. People need to stop gaslighting women about what they want from their own lives.”
If you’ve ever been curious as to how a 39-year-old woman would live her life day-to-day without children, here are some clips from one of her videos.
