Putting all your eggs in one (freezer) basket

October 29th, 2006

Is it just me or does the tail end of this article from The Independent scream, “Ladies, if you wouldn’t spend so much time fussing with your silly little careers maybe you’d actually be able to find a man and get down to the business of procreating”?

See comments from Francoise Shenfield, consultant gyno at University College Hospital London and “an expert in medical law and ethics,” who says:

People have to be reminded that they have to make compromises between children and career.

Though the eggs-on-ice thing strikes me as a tad creepy, I can see how it helps gravely ill women and others in circumstances less run of the mill than your usual ticking clock. But that’s beside the point.

Suppose you’re a single woman who does want to start a family someday. Maybe you would even go so far as to say you desperately want to start a family. (Though I’ve heard such women exist, I can’t attest to being one; I seem to have misplaced my own biological clock.)

In the meantime, how the hell are you supposed to support yourself if you’re “making compromises between children and career” (i.e., prioritizing getting knocked up over getting paid) as dear Francoise implies? Are you supposed to just quit your job and vamp it up in the nearest watering hole in hopes that some sperm donor will come along before your next rent check is due? Gimme a break.

Entry Filed under: Working moms