This feels somewhat like a foundational text, finally exploring the incredibly important (and complex) societal issue of whether or not to be a parent, specifically a mother. In the research of women who regret being mothers, there is much to be learned about the pressures women have to be mothers, the implicit following of a cultural, community, or religious path, and the ways in which women can stifle their own desires consciously or unconsciously. This study also explores the ways in which women regret becoming mothers (the time, the focus, the money, the energy, etc) in specific terms that even as someone who has known they don’t want children I have not thought about. This feels like essential reading as I think these are things we should think about before becoming a parent. The author does acknowledge the study is limited, which is a drawback of the data and concepts. I would love to see more studies or information, particularly from more diverse groups of people in the US, racially, culturally, and religiously. Overall, really thought provoking.