Betty Rollin's Motherhood Who Needs It?

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When I was a young teenager, I was in charge of my younger cousins frequently while the adults enjoyed an afternoon or evening out. Each time, I thought how crazy these people must have been to willingly become slaves to babies who scream, messy toddlers who throw tantrums, and adolescents who misbehave. I knew other girls who loved baby dolls, played “wedding” in the schoolyard, and fawned over babies, but I had no similar desires. + Having read Betty Rollin’s “Motherhood: Who Needs It?” I agree with her notion that motherhood is not instinctual. The behavior of wanting children is learned, not something all women are necessarily born with. * She proves her point using female psychology, religion, and animal studies.
Betty Rollin proves her point using female psychology. She cites Dr. William Goode’s statement that women face “enormous cultural pressures” to reproduce, which …show more content…
I personally did not change my mind on wanting children until reaching my twenties. I have made this decision in conjunction with my partner, further proving that outside factors (including culture and religion) can influence a woman’s desire to become a mother. Given Rollin’s points using female psychology and animal studies, she demonstrates that motherhood is, largely, a choice versus a basic need for personal survival. Some individuals (humans and animals alike) are more inclined than others to become parents, and this “maternal” inclination has more to do with one’s own experience as a youth. Rollin mentions the “impending horrors of overpopulation,” and I argue that, if women NEEDED their children we would not be left with so many unfortunately abandoned children in this world. Thankfully, many of those who are inclined to mother are perfectly happy adopting one or more of these children. Again, this demonstrates a conscious choice to become and remain a mother rather than a biological
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