In New Zealand, the number of childless couples has increased (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). More and more women are choosing not to have children. Does this mean that voluntary childlessness is becoming normalized? Are women really free to make this decision? What are the social implications of a decision of this type? When it comes to what is expected of women in Western society, “woman” and “mother” are often linked. In this essay I will argue, through the lens of Foucauldian theory and then from a feminist anthropological perspective, that women have less freedom than they seem when it comes to decisions about their own reproduction. Using some aspects of Foucault's theoretical framework, I will outline them briefly. All my life I have admired my parents' strong work ethic, their competence and their achievements in the workplace. My expectations were that if I wanted to sacrifice myself for a career, it wouldn't raise an eyebrow. As a child I was told that I could be anything I dreamed of; in my dreams I never imagined myself as a mother. I began to suggest my decision not to have children to my parents in subtle ways, but it wasn't until a family dinner with my and my partner's family that my mother bluntly asked me if I was serious about not wanting children. At that point I openly stated that I had no plan or desire to have children. The conversation that followed took away every ounce of confidence I had about my choice not to have children and left me with a feeling of the unexpected. My mother then sweetly asked me to tell her why? He needed me to justify why I didn't want kids. I tried to understand why all the comments and questions were directed at me even though the decision was made by mutual agreement. It was Josh's decision, yet I was seen as the resistant party. When everything had calmed down, my mother told me that when she was my age she didn't want kids either. She only insisted that I reconsider childlessness because her mother had convinced her to have children. He reiterated that he would accept my decision whatever it was. I couldn't help but feel that even though it was my choice biologically, I wouldn't actually be normal if I chose not to have children. The expectations behind motherhood, a part of the Western society I grew up in, meant I didn't have the freedom of choice I thought I had.