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Gabrielle Union Chats About Motherhood vs. Career

The actress says women are shamed if they choose career over baby.

We’re certain that ever since Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade tied the knot last year, they’ve been fielding questions about whether they’ll be having a baby soon. In her cover story for Redbook’s October issue, Union opened up about choosing career over motherhood and the shame that sometimes comes along with that decision.

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“So far, it has not happened for us. A lot of my friends deal with this,” she said. “There’s a certain amount of shame that is placed on women who have perhaps chosen a career over starting a family younger. The penance for being a career woman is barrenness. You feel like you’re wearing a scarlet letter.”
The 42-year-old actress also commented on the unfortunate fact that when a woman does decide to have a baby, her career is affected and the pressure mounts to act appropriately and juggle family and business.
“The reality is that women are discriminated against in the workplace for being mothers. As much as there are strides being made — you get pregnant, your career takes a hit,” she said. “You can’t have a bad day. Don’t you dare cry at work. Don’t raise your voice. Especially if you’re a Black woman in corporate America — now you’re ‘the angry Black woman.’”
Union didn’t reveal if Wade’s feeling the pressure to have another child (the 33-year-old basketball star has three children of his own from previous relationships and is raising his nephew), but did comment on their age difference.
"I realized his friends, his teammates, were conceived when I was, like, a senior in high school. I was in high school at the same time as their parents! Sometimes he'll be like, 'Oh, my God, he's so old!' about someone who's 35. But, Dwyane's an old 33, and I'm a young 42, so it balances out."
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(Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Lexus)

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