Should we become parents?
This question forces us to reckon with what we love and fear most in ourselves, in our relationships, and in the world.
When Gina Rushton considered this decision, the choice was less straightforward than she had assumed. Her search for an answer only uncovered more complexity. How do race, gender and class affect our experiences of pregnancy, birth, and parenthood? How do we address the paradox of creating new life on a planet facing catastrophic climate change? How do we navigate uncompromising workplace cultures and the pitfalls of excessive emotional labour? How does our own childhood impact how we choose to parent, if we do so at all?
Drawing on a depth of knowledge gained through her extraordinary work as an award-winning journalist, as well as her personal experiences, Rushton wrote the book she and others needed to transform the discourse around the parenthood dilemma.
Praise
‘Gina Rushton brings her forensic journalistic eye to the question of whether we choose to be a mother or not. This is an honest, compelling, well-researched book that makes a valuable contribution to the contemporary discussion about reproductive choices and rights in a nuanced and thoughtful way.’
— Dr Pragya Agarwal, author of (M)otherhood and Hysterical
‘A fiercely intelligent meditation on the decision to have a child, and an interrogation of all that modern motherhood entails.’
— Leah Hazard, author of Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began and Hard Pushed: A Midwife’s Story
‘A vigorous interrogation of one of the most significant decisions of our lives. Exceptionally clever, unfearing, and tender. An important addition to a growing body of contemporary literature that examines the intersection between our personal lives and global justice.’
— Alice Kinsella, author of Milk: On Motherhood and Madness
‘A smart and insightful exploration of parenthood – both personal and political – that’s sure to move, stir and inspire.’
— Chloë Ashby, author of Second Self and Wet Paint
‘The Parenthood Dilemma changed the way I view my life, myself, and the way I relate to the world. This is a vital, necessary read not just for those considering parenthood but for anyone who wants to live a more conscious, compassionate life and to more deeply understand the relation between individual and community, human and climate, and between our present lives and the past and future.’
— Emma Bolden, author of The Tiger and the Cage: A Memoir of a Body in Crisis
‘A passionate and punchy exploration of modern parenthood, mixing memoir with journalism, the personal and the political. A propulsive and powerful read.’
— Sam Mills, author of The Fragments of my Father and Chauvo-Feminism
‘Rushton’s work is generous, thoughtful, and honest, taking care neither to romanticise nor to disparage the choice to become a parent.’
— Jenny Hamilton, Booklist (starred review)
‘Gina Rushton rips back the sentimental gauze of motherhood to confront a question as urgent as it is unmentionable: Should I – should anyone – bring a child into a world on fire? For parents and non-parents alike, this book is a call to arms to build a fairer, freer, more sustainable, and more truly feminist future.’
— Joanna Scutts, author of Hotbed: Bohemian Greenwich Village and the Secret Club that Sparked Modern Feminism
‘As a woman who struggled with whether or not to have a child, I appreciated Gina Rushton’s The Parenthood Dilemma immensely. I loved the beautifully written introspection and the meticulous reporting around considerations like climate change, fertility, genes, and reproductive rights — even as Rushton comes to understand that ‘no one is going to write the ending for me.’ I hate the term ‘must-read,’ but damn it, everyone considering having kids in this chaotic era should read this book.’
— Amber Sparks, author of And I Do Not Forgive You
‘Gina Rushton reports unflinchingly from the disjunction between received wisdoms about motherhood and received realities that continue to constrict the choices of women of her generation. A significant and vital book; a must-read.’
— Sarah Krasnostein, author of The Believer
‘Gina Rushton searingly describes the complex internal conflict so many young women feel: do I want kids? And what becomes of me if I do, or don’t? I’ve not read a book that so perfectly captures how I feel as a woman in her late twenties.’
— Zara McDonald, host of Shameless podcast and bestselling author of The Space Between
‘Grounded in Rushton’s years of frontline reporting on reproductive access, this book reflects on both the politics and philosophies underpinning parenthood. It challenged some of my deeply ingrained presumptions about the career-family binary, and Rushton is unafraid to sit with ambivalence. Contraception, legacy, loss, climate change… it’s all here. I am so glad this book exists and I am glad I read it.’
— Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull
‘I can’t remember the last book that made me think so much – about all sorts of things I didn’t expect. Gina Rushton is what every writer should be – both wise and curious – and when I had finished her fascinating book I saw the world in new ways.’
— Sean Kelly, author of The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison
‘The Most Important Job in the World keenly captures the rollercoaster of anxiety and hope that embodies living at this moment in history. Gina Rushton has written a book that is globally impactful and deeply personal at once, further solidifying her status as one of this country’s most exciting writers. This is a generation-defining text that everyone (not only those considering parenthood) must read immediately.’
— Gen Fricker, comedian
‘Gina Rushton interrogates the most personal, political and primal anxieties of our generation, and delivers a clarity so sharp, it borders on pain. But the pain is transformative when shared and given shape, and I read The Parenthood Dilemma feeling nothing short of seen, consoled and grateful.’
— Benjamin Law, author of The Family Law
‘A mesmerising investigation into the beauty and trauma of motherhood.’
— Samantha Maiden, political editor at news.com.au
