Which career first?: Skewed argument should be put to bed

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7520.846-a

BMJ 2005;331:846 (8 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7520.846-a

Letter

Which career first?

Skewed argument should be put to bed

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—I write on behalf of all of us child-less womenwho are defying nature and risking heartbreak, as Bewley etal say in their editorial.¹ The fact is many of us have hadno choice but to settle for a career instead of motherhood (orboth). The editorial, responsibly, cautions healthcare providersto alert women to the potential consequences of their choicesaround deferring pregnancy. However, the role of men in theseputative "choices" that women are making is scarcely mentioned.Far too many men enter the equation—those who are draggingtheir feet until they might just about be ready to father achild before removing the (by then often redundant) condom.

Can we try to resist the temptation to single out women whenpointing to the problems with delaying pregnancy? Instead, shouldwe not encourage more male partners into the consultation roomand pass the message to . . . [Full text of this article]

Kathleen Sullivan, MA student

Institute of Education, University of London, London W9 londonkaff@yahoo.com