Motherhood Will be my Choice

For many women working in any industry, there comes a time in their careers where they ask themselves whether they will pursue motherhood. And if they do pursue it, they have to figure out how work and motherhood play with each other. For me, I know that when time comes, after I have enjoyed many years in my industry being a strong women in STEM, I will pause my work and devote myself fully to being a mother.

But that is my choice. I am no better and no worse than a woman who makes a different choice. For some women, being a mother is not in the picture. And while some people in society think that it's a "women's duty" to have children, I believe that the world is better off by letting women who don't want children not have have them. Motherhood should not be a burden. It should not be something you later resent or regret. Yes, it is extremely difficult and tiresome, but in the end it should be a choice that you know you did right by choosing.

If a woman does not want to be a mother, if she wants to devote her life to something else, that is her choice and I applaud it. Her time and efforts and passions will be far more fulfilling to herself and the world by doing whatever it is she chooses to devote herself to. If a women wants to be a working mother, figuring out how to balance work and her children, I applaud it - as should her colleagues.

When a woman comes back to work after having a child, she isn't coming back weaker and more fragile. Yes, her body will be tired and yes, now in her heart and mind there will be something else besides work. But she her accomplishments and capabilities still exist. The work she has proven to be good at is not wiped away by her child. Her dedication and hard work is not to be overlooked because she has shown that she loves something else besides her career.

And when a woman decides to pause or even end her career to pursue motherhood, she is not foolish. She is not a "step back to feminism." She is simply a woman who has decided that motherhood is the only thing currently worth pursuing. When I grow up, if I have the privilege to be in a sound financial state that doesn't require me to work, I will take a step back in my career for my children. Maybe in 5 years I will feel differently. Maybe I will fall in love with my career and choose to pursue it further than I initially expected. But in the end, I do not see myself as worse or better for making a certain choice. Because in the end, motherhood will be my choice, not anybody else's.