Conservative Women’s Rallying Cry: Don’t Wait to Have Children

If it seems like more young conservative women are having children than in recent generations, it’s because that’s exactly what’s happening.

New data from the General Social Survey shows that conservative women between the ages of 18 and 35 are significantly more likely to be mothers than their ideologically liberal counterparts. According to the findings, 60 percent of conservative women in that age demographic have children compared to 25 percent of liberal women. Just 15 years ago, the gap was just 5 percent.

High-profile conservative wives and mothers are in the spotlight these days – a development that’s calling attention to the evolving phenomenon. From White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, who has a 16-month-old son, to the Daily Wire‘s Isabel Brown, little children are being both seen and heard in places once reserved only for adults.

Isabel, who is 28 and married to Brock Belcher, offered the Wall Street Journal some insight on not only her thinking but why other women and families are prioritizing children over career.

“Young people are realizing that our lives are going to be so much more meaningful if we have a family to share our success with from the start,” she reflected.

The Journal also spoke with Kimberly Begg, who serves as president of the nonprofit Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women. Begg, who is 49, has five children and warns that her early life and career offers a cautionary tale for young women on what not to do when it comes to juggling children and a job outside the home.

“One of my daughters learned how to use the phone and she called me constantly because she wanted me to come home,” Begg told the paper. “My children were not thriving.”  

Begg, who is an attorney, decided to quit the grind and be more available for her children. From her home base, she chose to write and accept a few freelance gigs. With her children now enrolled in school full-time, she accepted the more traditional role at an organization – but changed the in-office hours to accommodate parents who need to drop off and pick up children from school.

May Mailman, who is a mother of three young children (born in 2022, 2024 and 2025), served as a senior policy strategist and deputy assistant to President Trump up until this past August when she departed the administration to open her own firm.

The Wall Street Journal also featured Emma Waters who works remotely for the Heritage Foundation. The Waters have two young children. “I love my work, but my top priority is to raise my children, and that cannot be outsourced to someone else for eight hours a day, five days a week,” she said. “The ‘you can have it all’ mindset is so misleading and sets women up for disappointment.” 

An unfolding post-COVID work environment that includes a greater acceptance and flexibility surrounding remote and hybrid employment arrangements has opened possibilities that didn’t previously exist. While many companies are reverting back to in-person offices, others are finding it necessary to make exceptions if they want to either attract or retain young mothers, especially.

The Daily Wire’s Isabel Brown has become a cheerleader for parenthood. In fact, she is laying bare the lies that have been perpetuated by so many for so long about the so-called shackles of marriage and children.

“It’s not true that walking down the aisle or welcoming a child into the world will somehow limit your personal freedom,” she said.

Personal freedom may look very different to different people, but this encouraging trend of young women prioritizing marriage and children over career is very good news – and one that will hopefully only gain steam and grow in popularity in the years to come.

Image from Getty.