Are you treating your childless friends unfairly?

Do you feel you’re excluding the couples in your life who don’t have children? And worse, do you regularly make their reproductive decision a topic of conversation?

 

While there has been an increase in the number of babies born in recent times, there are also a significant number of couples who either can’t have children or have made the decision not to have them.

These couples have reported being excluded from their social groups and have also endured people asking about "the pitter-patter of tiny feet" or commenting on their decision not have children.

 

Relationship counsellor Bernadette Ryan believes that while people are generally suspicious of those who don’t conform, they are especially so in the case of childless couples.

 

 “It is considered fine if a couple can’t have children, then we can feel sorry for them and will offer our sympathy. But if they actually do not want them, then we feel there must be something wrong,” she says.

 

What do you think? Do you find yourself quizzing childless couples about their reproductive plans? Do you freely offer your opinion on their situation? How would you react to those people asking you if you were sure you really wanted to have kids?