Who wants to be a mother?

Long reads 12 August 2002updated 24 Sep 2015 12:16pm Who wants to be a mother? Who wants to be a mother? Some jobs are not compatible with bringing up children. Lindsey Hilsum bel

By Lindsey Hilsum

I was in a private hotel suite at a summit of African leaders at Victoria Falls, trying to persuade the president of Uganda to tell me what had gone on inside the meeting. He tried evasion

tactics and asked me why, like so many European women, I “refused to have children”. My stumbling explanation was that I was too busy, that I travelled a lot and was quite happy without

children.

“I have known you since 1986, and you still don’t have children! This is not good