4 ms·
The cruel way to refer to a "childfree" woman is "barren".
by tacon 7y ago
The cruel way to refer to a "childfree" woman is "barren".
- harimau777 7y agoMy understanding was that barren referred to the inability to have children as opposed to someone who could have children but doesn't want to. Is that not correct?
- Endy 7y agoBarren is a reference to her ability to have children, and means the same as "sterile" in males.
- tacon 7y agoMy point is that the word "barren" was appropriate maybe 100 years ago, or even 50 years ago. But I can very, very clearly imagine the different looks on a woman's face if you asked "Are you unable to have children?" vs. "Are you barren?"