Feb 11 6:11 PM

Modern day motherhood

WALTRAUD GRUBITZSCH/AFP/Getty Images


Celebrities seem to have eternal fertility, getting pregnant at any age. Teen moms create reality TV hits. But what does motherhood really look like? Are women’s expectations distorted by Hollywood, feminism and even science? Nearly one in five women now end their fertile years without having a child. So, is it time to reset the conversation, reconciling motherhood with also being an educated, successful woman?

In this episode of The Stream, we'll speak to: 

Karen Kersting @karenkayrva
Counseling Psychology Doctoral Candidate - Virginia Commonwealth University

Tanya Selvaratnam @Tselvar
Author – The Big Lie: Motherhood, Feminism, and the Reality of the Biological Clock
tanyaturnsup.com

Michelle Horton @earlymama
Founder – Early Mama
earlymama.com

Carolina Miranda @cmonstah
Culture Writer

What do you think? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below. 

The nation's birth rate is currently declining and has gone down 20 percent since 1990. The number of women who ended their childbearing years in the 1970's was also significantly lower than it is today: only one in 10. 

While some women at the end of their childbearing years have been unable to have children, an equal number made a conscious decision not to, according to Pew Research data. 

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Topics
Gender

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