Kim Cattrall Has Had It With Being Labelled As ‘Childless’

Last week, Jeanne wrote about the wonderful Sandra Bullock who rightly lashed out against those who pass?judgement on her non-biological motherhood. For want of a better phrase, we just. can’t.?even. Now, Sex And The City‘s Kim Cattrall has jumped on a similar bandwagon, rolling her eyes at those who continually describe her as ‘childless’, as though it’s some sort of ill-fated affliction and something that needs rectifying, similar to the panic that surrounded Jennifer Aniston before she ‘finally’ found herself a husband.

Cattrall has been married three times and she’s quite happy with how things have turned out, despite never having had a child, which for a woman over 40 is often considered a tragedy (if she can’t have one) or a mortal sin (if she chooses not to). Though she has none of her own, Cattrall still considers herself a parent in other ways, satisfying her maternal side when it comes to nieces and nephews, those she mentors and more.

“I am not a biological parent, but I am a parent,” she explained on BBC 4’sWoman’s Hour. “I have young actors and actresses that I mentor; I have nieces and nephews that I am very close to. There is a way to become a mother in this day and age which doesn’t include your name on the child’s birth certificate. You can express that maternal side, very clearly, very strongly. It feels very satisfying.”

Kim feels strongly that we should ditch the ‘less’ from ‘childless’ and find other, more positive ways of referring to women. ?It’s the ?less? that is offensive – childless – it sounds like you’re ?less? because you haven’t had a child.?

?I think for many women from my generation it wasn’t actually a conscious choice, it was a feeling of, ?Well, I’m on this road, and things are going really well, and I’m very happy, and I’ll do it next year, I’ll do it in two years, I’ll do it in five years. And then suddenly you’re in your early 40s and you’re thinking, ?Mmm, maybe now?? and you go to your doctor and she says to you, ?Well yes, we can do this, but you start to become a bit of a science experiment here, because we have to find out how you can stay pregnant?.?

Read about Sandra Bullock’s experience over yonder.