Mandatory Motherhood

The criteria for becoming an astronaut in China are rough. Got a scar? You're disqualified. Bad breath? Ineligible. Yes, snoring is also forbidden. Oh, and if you're a woman, you must be married and have children.

Don't worry about that last requirement, though; China says the reasoning behind it isn't sexist. After all, it isn't known how space flight will affect a person's fertility. And married mothers are obviously more mature than single women.

How interesting.

Following China's logic, a 16-year-old mother is more grown-up than a woman ten years her senior who is putting off having children so she can focus on her education and career for awhile. This could be the case, but more likely, it's not. It is true, major experiences can and usually do change lives, but not necessarily in a way that creates maturity (or readiness for space travel). And by making these requirements for women alone, China is implying that men aren't altered by marriage and parenthood. It almost goes without saying that men have an equal capacity for growth. To deny that would be insulting to one half of the population.

But let's return to China's insult of women for a minute. Never mind this article from TIME Magazine which states that short flights are safe for either sex's reproductive systems, and that male fertility could potentially be more damaged by venturing into space than female. Even if that weren't the case, China is basically telling women that their highest calling is as a wife and mother.

Being a wife and/or a mother can be a wonderful thing. I know some amazing feminists who are married with children (check out the blog Mamma Femminista for an excellent example). I also know many women who have chosen not to have children or get legally married for one reason or another, and that's wonderful, too. The best part is that most women have the choice. Career can take precedence over children or vice versa. Or a woman can have both. It seems a shame to have a family prerequisite before a woman can embark on another life adventure. And it seems a shame to define a woman's worth by her role in the family first and foremost when there are so many ways she can contribute to society.

There are other things that make this policy problematic. Does China make exceptions for women who are, for whatever reason, incapable of having their own children? Does adoption count? Do the chosen moms even get to spend time with the families they are so valued for having? Being an astronaut is a high-stress career, especially if you aren't even allowed to have bad breath.

Let's hope that China sees the error of their ways. Perhaps when the powers that be realize they could be missing out on some amazing candidates because of a discriminatory policy, they'll reverse it. In the meantime, those of us who are able can take advantage of one of the best things the feminist movement has given us: choice.