Fewer and fewer are eager to have children, including Michaela Ståhl, who chose to be sterilized at 29. According to a new report, fewer and fewer young people and young adults see parenthood as important to being satisfied and happy in life.
At the age of 29, Michaela Ståhl chose to sterilize herself. In “After five” she tells about the choice not to have children and why the decision is perceived as provocative by those around her.
Today, fewer and fewer people dream of becoming parents and it is also becoming more common to sterilize themselves. According to the Youth Barometer’s annual generational report for 2023, a full 67 percent of young people aged 15-24 do not consider parenthood to be important for being satisfied with life.
Strong reactions from the environment
“I don’t want to have children, there is no reason to continue taking contraception,” says Michaela Ståhl when she is a guest on “Efter fem.” “It was never in my interest from the very beginning,” she says and says that the most common reaction she gets from those around her is that she will regret the decision.
However, she has a hard time understanding why other people react so negatively to her decision. “Given that it would hurt no one but me if I were to repent, I cannot give an answer as to why it provokes. That is the norm.” She also adds that she thinks it’s important to stop asking others questions about children, as there can be many reasons why you don’t start a family that way. “You have to accept that people live their lives as it suits them, it’s a sensitive subject,” she says in the interview.
