Kim Cattrall is a celebrated actress with a remarkable career that spans four decades.
Though most of us know Cattrall from her work as confident PR maven Samantha Jones on HBO’s “Sex and the City,” the actress scored her first roles in TV movies before jumping to film roles in “Porky’s” and “Police Academy” ahead of her breakout role in the 1987 film “Mannequin.”
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Her storied career aside, Cattrall’s critics (who are apparently out of things to ask her) often ask why the 59-year-old star doesn’t have children.
Cattrall was a guest editor on the BBC Radio 4’s “Women’s Hour” when she decided to address the issue.
In one fell swoop, the actress silenced her critics AND gave a new spin on what it means to be a mother.
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“I am not a biological parent, but I am a parent. I have young actors and actresses that I mentor; I have nieces and nephews that I am very close to. … There is a way to become a mother in this day and age that doesn’t include your name on the child’s birth certificate. You know, you can express that maternal side of you very, very clearly, very strongly. … It feels very satisfying.”
Boom.
And Cattrall is not alone.
According to Census data, a record number of women are choosing not to have children.
In 2014, nearly 48% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 had never had kids. That’s the highest percentage of women of those ages without children since the Census Bureau started tracking the statistic in the 1970s.
But the expectation to have kids is still there. Women who make the choice to forgo motherhood are slammed as selfish or immature. Entire articles are dedicated to the plethora of reasons women choose not to have kids, as if their decision warrants a longer explanation than “works for her, not for me.”
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But apparently, even in 2015, even with numerous awards and a successful career to your name — and even with other things to talk about — this is still a choice women are expected to defend.
Hats off to Kim Cattrall for redefining motherhood.
Not just for herself, but for being a strong voice and advocate for the many women who choose a path other than raising children. It’s not always an easy path to walk, but she does it with grace, grit, and undoubtedly in fabulous shoes.
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