#1275 Orna Donath: Women Who Regret Having Children
RECORDED ON MAY 27th 2026.
Dr. Orna Donath is a sociologist, lecturer, writer and feminist activist. She teaches at Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion University, and the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Her field of study focuses on the social expectations projected on women, both those who are mothers and those who are not, especially by choice. She is the author of Regretting Motherhood: A Study.
In this episode, we focus on Regretting Motherhood. We talk about the study of women who regret motherhood, and the most common ideas society has about motherhood. We discuss why this is such a taboo topic. We talk about regret from a sociological perspective, what we know about women who regret motherhood, and the idea that women are not “complete” if they do not have children. Finally, we discuss how we should approach motherhood in society.
Time Links:
Intro
Studying women who regret motherhood
Ideas that society has about motherhood
Why is regretting motherhood a taboo topic?
Regret from a sociological perspective
What we know about women who regret motherhood
The idea that women who do not have children are not “complete”
Does it have anything to do with being forced to choose between motherhood and careers?
How should we approach motherhood in society?
Follow Dr. Donath’s work!
Follow Dr. Donath’s work:
University page: https://tinyurl.com/3v6nkzhh
Regretting Motherhood: https://tinyurl.com/3cff8cbf