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When Tracey Emin expressed disdain for the way society treats women without children, her words sparked almost as much controversy as her art.

The 48-year-old outspoken artist admitted she had never wanted to have a baby and said it was unfair that those like her should be seen as outcasts because they chose to be child free.

“There comes a time when you hit your 40s and you haven’t had children, that every time you go out, the subject will come up – people will ask you why you haven’t had children.

“And I’ll say, ‘I don’t want to have children’, and then you have to explain it, or why you couldn’t have them. It’s very tedious,” she said recently.

Model and 80s fashion icon Marie Helvin admitted that remaining childless had also caused her problems.

(Image: Getty)

Now 59, Marie said she and model Jerry Hall no longer spoke as, after Jerry had children, they had nothing in common.

“A mother needs to be with mothers,” Marie explained.

Cameron Diaz, 39, is among other celebrities who have defended childless women by saying: “We don’t need any more kids, we have plenty on this planet.”

Dame Helen Mirren, 66, who has been married to American film director Taylor Hackford for 13 years, is unapologetic about her decision not to become a parent. “I always did – and still do – value my freedom too highly,” the actress commented.

But it isn’t just those in the public eye who are shunning the idea of having a family.

Financial independence and the freedom contraception gives means more women are opting out of motherhood.

Tara Daynes, 42, is one of them.

The freelance HR consultant, from Camden, North London, says she finds the thought of giving birth “revolting”.

“When I see women in the supermarket with their kids crying I just think, ‘Take them home and stick them in a cupboard’,” she adds. “I just don’t have the urge to have kids and never have.”

Until a few decades ago, it was assumed that most women would get married and the pitter-patter of tiny feet would soon follow.

According to the Office for National Statistics, however, 20% of women born in 1965 reached the age of 45 without having children.

Sociologist Dr Catherine Hakim of the London School of Economics, who has studied voluntary childlessness, says the phenomenon is new.

“The principal reason is the combination of the contraceptive revolution, which gave women independent control of fertility for the first time in history, and the equal opportunities revolution, which gave them a choice to have careers instead of having motherhood as the only option,” Dr Hakim explains.

“In Britain, one in five women remains childless already. In Germany, it is one in four. Even in the family-friendly gender equality Nordic countries, about 12% to 17% of women choose not to have children. As public opinion comes to accept childless marriages, people are more open about saying that it was their personal choice, not an accident.”

Tara is so adamant that she never wants to become a mum, she hasn’t been in a serious relationship for 10 years.

“I have a cat and a part-time lodger and a great group of friends. I am perfectly happy with my life,” she says.

When she was 12 and in a biology class, Tara was shown some footage of a woman giving birth.

She said she was “horrified” and had to leave the room. “I thought, ‘Why would anyone ever want to put themselves through that?’ It scared the heck out of me. This poor woman was just screeching her head off and it was shocking.

"Later on in life, I realised that I didn’t have that urge to have children that other women do and, to be honest, I feel quite blessed because of it. I have a morbid fear of children.”

While her parents have not pressured her to give them grandchildren, Tara says people do sometimes find it odd she is so against motherhood – particularly men.

“Some have dumped me after a few dates but that’s their problem,” she says. “And other women sometimes think you must be selfish because you say you don’t want children, but that’s rubbish.

“I totally agree with what Tracey Emin said. Women who don’t have children should be applauded, not judged.

"It is women like myself who are making a positive contribution to society. Women with loads of kids are a drain on the nation’s economy.

“By not having kids, I can give more of my time, effort and resources, not only to myself but to other people, and society as a whole.

"I do that through working and getting involved with community activities and charities – there’s nothing selfish about that! So it is irrational to judge me harshly on the basis that I choose to do all of that rather than raise children.”

Tammi Willis, 35, from Shepherd’s Bush, West London, decided not to have children because she loves her lifestyle too much. The nightclub owner is about to become a personal trainer and has never felt better. And she sees no reason to spoil that.

“I’m looking forward to a long and fulfilling life full of health and fitness, adventure, travel, new business opportunities, good food and good times with friends,” Tammi says. “Almost all of these things you can’t do very easily or at all, if you choose to have children.”

She is also concerned about the financial impact of having a child.

“I did the maths and it costs over £10,000 a year to raise a child,” she says. “I would rather spend this money on other things like travel, nice clothes and socialising.”

Although she has two nephews, eight and 11, Tammi is always grateful that she can give them back at the end of the day.

“It’s nice just enjoying their company for a little bit,” she says.

“But there is no way I could have children around all the time. I love being able to go out whenever I like. My hobbies include martial arts, which I do three times a week. It would be impossible to do this with children.”

Tammi also loves going to the gym, cinema, eating out, and taking part in sports like snowboarding, badminton and tennis. “I go on adventure holidays, ” she says. “They’d be impossible with children.”

“A lot of people seem to think I’ll change my mind about having kids before it’s too late, but I know I won’t. I’m totally put off by pregnancy, labour and babies.”

Tammi says her parents, who have four children, are supportive of her choice.

“I know once you have kids that the overwhelming love you feel for them trumps all negative aspects but until then you can stay objective,” she says. Nicola Steel, from Cardiff, turned 40 last October.

Unlike some women who would have been panicking that their child-bearing years were almost over, she was grateful to be heading closer to the menopause.

Nicola, a store manager for a fashion company, has been with her partner, Stuart, for two years.

She says she has never craved motherhood.

“I was never interested in dolls and prams. I loved playing with Sindy dolls but have never had maternal feelings,” Nicola says.

“When it comes to breast-feeding, I know there’s no way I could do it, I don’t even like looking at pregnant tummies if I’m honest.

“I feel that having a child is a lifelong commitment that I couldn’t offer to any man as I know it would make me feel trapped.

"I don’t like it when my friends bring children round to my home. All that touching, crying, and rubbing food into things. It’s just not me at all.”

Nicola says she understands why Tracey Emin criticised the way childless women are treated.

She, too, has been judged because of her lifestyle choice.

“Some women automatically assume its because I can’t have them and looked shocked when I tell them I don’t want kids,” she says.

“They just don’t seem to want to accept that I choose not to and don’t understand the fact that I like to work to have my own money and my own life.

"Children don’t figure in any of this.”