Episode 114: Orna Donath - Regretting Motherhood, Part 2

Orna Donath is a professor at Tel Aviv University and is the author of the landmark book "Regretting Motherhood." During our conversation, Orna talks about the lessons from her research, her own "silent knowing" that she didn't want to be a mom, the importance of knowing oneself, and her new research of elderly, childless women in Israel. Orna also talks about the role of fear in pressuring women to become a mom, her yearly dialogue with a dozen women who are trying to decide whether to have kids, healthy models for childless women, and her interviews with childless men.------------Book a meeting with Dan------------Keep Talking SubstackRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------00:00 Intro00:36 Stories of women who have regretted having kids05:08 What has been traumatic to women about becoming mothers?10:04 The role of fear in pressuring women to have kids16:41 The lack of healthy models for women without kids23:31 Lessons from elderly, childless women28:51 Lessons from women who are wrestling with whether to have kids35:57 Meaning and purpose in life without kids42:27 Quotes in praise or Orna and her work44:18 Men who don't want to have kids54:46 Addressing questions Orna wants to answer