The Right to Refuse Motherhood

Sor Juana's decision to enter religious life rather than marry and bear children was radical—it refused the most fundamental expectation placed on cisgender women. This concept examines how cisgender identity gets collapsed into reproductive identity, and how refusing that collapse becomes an act of self-definition. For many, being a cisgender woman has meant being available for motherhood, whether desired or not. Sor Juana demonstrated that cisgender identity could contain other pursuits: scholarship, spiritual development, artistic creation, independent thought. In examining your own cisgender identity, this concept invites critical reflection: Have you accepted motherhood or childlessness as central to who you are, or have you defined yourself through other dimensions? What social pressure exists to make reproductive choices feel inevitable? How can cisgender identity expand beyond its biological associations to encompass the full range of human potential and choice?