Of female mice and men

„Every healthy female of any given vertebrate reproduces more than once in a life time. Only the one with bad luck who died on her first delivery could produce an only child.“ This is what you can read in a publication entitled What you don't know about the young ones. It is a cute children's book about animals. However, the same arguments are used in Czech society and only very rarely does someone note that people are not mice. Czech females therefore have a difficult task to convince their fellow mates that they can be useful to mankind even if they deliver only one baby or none.

All papers last week reported that the Czech Republic registered the highest number of birth since 1993. The information was accompanied by statements such as „demography experts glorify every single child that was born“ (Právo). It is very nice when a child is born and we should celebrate together with the experts. But it is not necessary to classify women as heroic mothers and as inadequate mothers depending on the number of births accomplished. It is also not necessary because of the growing numbers of mothers with only one child (up to one fourth) and childless women (currently slightly more than one tenth) who deserve recognition and glory for something else than the number of children.

Women without any children are in a much harder position in defending their existence. So if it is possible, she gives birth to at least one…