A Sunshine woman has set out to tell the stories of women who will never be mothers.
Melinda Austen, a therapist for couples and families, and a writer, hopes to compile an anthology of personal stories about what women do if they don’t become mothers, after their initial grief.
“For women who grew up with dreams of motherhood, living a life without children of their own can be painful,” Ms Austen said.
She said childlessness may be particularly difficult for women from different ethnic communities and cultural backgrounds where motherhood is prized.
She said there are many reasons and circumstances why some women do not become mothers, but her focus is more on what their lives became beyond that.
“What do these women end up doing with their lives? And how do they redefine their sense of identity?” Ms Austen asked.
“It’s quite different for women who don’t want children – this is for women who wanted to have children and it wasn’t realised.”
She said there were plenty of books available on motherhood, but not much about womanhood without children.
“I want to provide a resource for women, so when a woman comes to the point of realising [motherhood] is not going to happen for her she can look to the other stories of women in her situation,” she said. “A lot of women can feel they’re the only one.
“This will show them they’re not alone.”
Ms Austen particularly wants to give voice to the stories of women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
To find out more or to become involved in the project, email: melinda@person2person.net.au.
