Big Brains Why Are More Women Saying No To Having Kids? With Peggy O'Donnell Heffington
Nov 13, 2025
Peggy O'Donnell Heffington, an Assistant Instructional Professor at the University of Chicago and author of "Without Children," delves into the long history of non-motherhood. She explains how societal factors, economic pressures, and historical events have influenced declining fertility rates. The discussion touches on the political shaming of childless women, the impact of workplace policies, and the importance of supportive family policies in making parenthood viable. Peggy also highlights that many women today simply choose not to have children, reflecting a shift in personal priorities.
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Old Laws Reemerge In Modern Cases
- The Comstock Act resurfaced in contemporary legal battles around mifepristone and contraception access.
- Old statutes can be repurposed to restrict reproductive rights today.
Marriage Bars Enforced Motherhood Roles
- Employers historically enforced marriage bars, firing women once they married to prioritize motherhood.
- Legal and cultural systems framed women's primary role as potential mothers over careers.
Stay-At-Home Myth Versus Reality
- The postwar image of the stay-at-home mom masked that most families still needed two incomes.
- Single-income households were a privileged minority, not the typical norm.
