‘I HOPE FALLING FERTILITY FORCES GOVERNMENT TO ACT’

Natalie Wills, 37, lives in Exeter. After several years of feeling unsure about motherhood, in September 2020, she and her husband decided to remain child-free

‘For me, the pandemic highlighted the huge disparity between the haves and the havenots. And while I live a comfortable life myself, bringing a child into such an unjust society makes me feel uneasy.

During the first lockdown, I couldn’t look away from the gender inequalities that Covid exposed. I have a great husband who does a fair share of the housework, but we have a puppy – and the large majority of his wellbeing is left to me. I know women are still expected – and conditioned – to do the lion’s share of childcare, and quite frankly, I don’t want to do that. Even if things were 50/50 in terms of the active role, I know I would have a larger part – if not all – of the emotional burden. So we’ve decided as a couple that we won’t become parents.

I think society has many issues that all ultimately boil down to social inequality, whether it be racial, class, financial, cultural or any other factor.

And I think that by having children, we’re continuing to contribute to these issues rather than helping to solve them. The way our economy currently survives relies heavily on a strong fertility rate. At present, it’s decreasing, and the longer this continues, the more likely our governments will be forced to change how our whole system works. I really hope this helps to address those inequalities.’