by Deepika Shrestha ‘27

Alarmed about a declining birth rate in the United States, there is a growing trend in the conservative/MAGA movement to return to traditional gender roles in which women are encouraged to get married, have children, and stay at home to care for them. According to an article published by the conservative Heritage Foundation, which produced Project 2025, women have their own sphere of labor that is more rooted in the household.

There have been many shifts in culture from decades ago about marriage, children, and work, so it’s not surprising that women are now choosing not to have children, or having fewer of them, or having them later in life. However, in this emerging conservative worldview, women are supposed to feel bad if they want to pursue professional careers, because  men are the ones who should have the demanding jobs. These conservatives want men to be the sole provider and women to stay home.

Prominent voices in the MAGA movement have emphasized traditional roles for women, like the late Charlie Kirk who pushed for women to get married young and start having kids. He encouraged young women to get what is called “MRS degrees,” which is going to college only for the goal of finding a husband. There are members within the Trump administration pushing for traditional roles. JD Vance, in 2021, made a comment on how the country was run by “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made,” referring to female Democratic politicians who did not have their own children. As vice president, Vance has continued his fixation that women’s selfish choices are the main cause of declining birth rates.

Women should not feel ashamed for not getting married or having children, and there are many reasons why they choose not to. Some women do not want to be married because they want independence and to focus on their own goals. The cost of living, uncertain maternity leave, and medical restrictions to abortions in the case they are needed, are all reasons why women choose not to have kids. There are also women that just can not have a child due to various  health reasons and shouldn’t be made to feel bad for something they can not control.

Getting married or having children does not automatically make someone happy. Traditional masculinity that conservatives push can easily slip into toxic masculinity, which can promote men having control over women.

Now, there is nothing wrong with women choosing to get married and having children. It can be great and wonderfully fulfilling if that’s what a woman wants with her life. However, choosing not to get married or have children can also be a great path in a woman’s life. Women should not be made to feel less-than for their choices in life and instead encouraged to find what makes them happy.