There is no job in the world more important, and no endeavour more beautiful in life than motherhood. The presence of paternity is powerful, but maternity is essential – without it, we are without us. As a man, there is no other woman in the world who will have seen you grow from viscerally nothing, into whoever you are now and whoever you may become. There is no woman who will love you unconditionally, forgive you for your sins, your flaws, in the way your mother will. Likewise there is no woman you will love unconditionally and forgive in the way you will your mother. Both the aforementioned are a good job, because there is likely no other woman you will argue and fight with more than your mother too.
Statistics however, show maternity is falling out of favour - the birth rate is declining. Surveys and studies show less and less woman in our society want to have children. This induces despondency within me. Who am I to tell women what they should want? However my perspective is this: if a woman’s most prominent desire is no longer to bare and raise children, something has gone severely wrong.
There is a lot of pressure today for women to compete with men, to rival men in; social status, commercial value and competency, financial standing, and political power. If a woman innately aspires to do this, more power to her. A woman should have the opportunity to pursue whatever career, endeavour and life she so chooses. However I worry many women today feel as though being ‘just’ a mother is now a less powerful, less inspiring, less prestigious ‘job’ to choose. When in fact the reality is the complete obverse. To return to the primary fact: there is no job in the world – carried out by man or woman – more important than motherhood. Nothing is more powerful, prestigious and outright essential than the role of maternity: for human survival, growth and fulfilment.
What could be more principal than creating life, providing a home for that life within oneself, feeding that life from one’s own? Nothing is greater and more pulchritudinous than this. I sincerely hope that women continue to aspire to be mothers and take the greatest pride in not only aspiring to be, but being so - irrespective of any other endeavours that may or may not be present in their lives. Thank you to all the mothers in the world; of today and history. We would not be here without you. Therefore for the sake of humanity, for the sake of us all, may maternity never die.