The social pressure to have kids is overwhelming so our species can continue, period. We are biologically driven to reproduce and society reflects this need. For reasons both obvious and absurd, it is women who bear the brunt of continuing the species. Men are mostly allowed a kind of freedom around having children, although (perhaps I'm wrong?) they do seem to get significant pressure to marry (less than women, of course!) Lone men are dangerous to our survival, too, perhaps. I've never wanted kids and don't care - but if you think you hear about how "great" kids are wait till you peer group hits their 50s and beyond -- they never shut up about their grandkids! I get it, I really do, you poured your life energy into having kids and now they've done the right thing and had their own kids, and every part of your identity is validated and celebrated. I am happy for them, but I don't let them get away with smug superiority because it's total BS. Some of us just don't, for a variety of reasons, want to be moms (or dads) and we are almost always right about that.