Hey J.D. Vance: This Childfree Cat Lady Scratches Back

In the past 50 years, women without children have begun to redefine the traditional narratives of family and fulfillment. In the 1970s, about one in every 10 women would exit their childbearing years without bearing children. In the mid 2000s, that statistic became one in five. In the past 10 years, the childbearing rate of women in their 20s has fallen yet another 15%. The data says it all: More and more women every year are opting out of motherhood. 

I am immensely proud to be one of 22 million women aged 20-39 in the U.S. who have not given birth. I have found enormous satisfaction and purpose in my childfree life. In the past year alone, I have gotten the chance to travel the world and have met so many new friends along the way. As a content creator, I have expanded my social media community in ways I never would have thought possible, including gathering an audience of over 800,000 fellow childfree and childfree-curious individuals who I get to share my life and my ideas with. My childfree lifestyle has fulfilled me creatively and financially, and I have been lucky enough to inspire others by showing them what a life without kids can look like. I know myself and I know my limits, and none of this would have been possible for me if I had kids to tend to.

Unfortunately, not everyone feels as positively about the growing rate of childless women in our country. In late July, Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance went viral for resurfaced comments he made in 2021 about “miserable” childless cat ladies, as well as a speech from the same year in which he advocated for childfree people to have fewer voting rights than those with kids. His reasoning? He believes — or, at least, claims to believe — childfree people have no stake in the future (as if the future doesn’t belong to us, too…). 

Vance — and people who think like him — should be wary of the voters they call “miserable.”

Vance’s sentiments are an unfortunate but familiar retelling of out-of-date, sexist stereotypes that have prevailed since the 1800s. They’re also straight-up wrong. It’s a common misconception that childfree people are selfish, ungenerous, and indifferent about the future. In my case, this couldn’t be more untrue, actually! I don’t have to have kids of my own to care about younger generations. I want a healthy, thriving economy, society, and planet not just for myself (I mean, I’m only 25 and expect to live many more decades, after all) but also for others who will come after me. Wanting the best for the people we share the world with comes from basic human empathy, a skill I learned on the kindergarten playground. When Vance insinuates he didn’t learn true empathy until he had children, it makes me wonder if he also missed the lessons on “inside voices” and “sharing” that we all learned at a young age. 

Vance — and people who think like him — should be wary of the voters they call “miserable.” Many of us “miserables” are also the ones who are super vocal about this upcoming election — and some of us, like myself, actually have influence over a large number of voters. Social media is a powerful force that can sway an election, and without children to occupy my time, I have put plenty of hours into researching and educating my audience on the Trump campaign’s harmful policies. Every single day, I remind my audience through my Free Birth Control series of the importance of protecting our reproductive rights and the power to make choices about our bodies. And I’m not alone; there are countless creators on social media who are using their platforms to ensure our rights are protected, too. So, if Vance is afraid of a future run by childless cat ladies, he’s already living his own worst nightmare.

The overturn of Roe v. Wade has demonstrated that our right to remain childfree is not guaranteed. I, for one, am ready and willing to fight to ensure it is.

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