What happens when mum's not the word
The reaction to Margaret O’Connor’s decision not have kids was so extreme, she decided to write a thesis about it, she tells .
Margaret O’Connor doesn’t want to have kids. “I don’t like roller coasters, I don’t want to watch a horror film, I don’t plan to have children,” she says. “It’s just not something that appeals to me.” The 35-year-old counsellor and psychotherapist isn’t alone. A recent OECD study found that 19% of Irish women in the 40 to 44 age bracket are childless, placing us third in the developed world. Not all these women choose to be childless; some experience fertility issues while others don’t find a suitable partner, but the research and anecdotal evidence suggests that the number making an active choice is on the rise. The latest figures from the US suggest almost 20% of childless women in the 40 to 44 age bracket have decided not to have kids.
