Child raising

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It seems to me that MOST women are expected to raise/have kids, and not get any kudos on doing that. Yet, a lot of men, get the kudos, for just sticking around? I personally, think that both genders should get the kudos for having/raising children. (Whether single or together).
Thoughts?

I've noticed this too. I have known from a very young age that I am not interested in any kind of parenthood and that having kids wouldn't ever be a viable option for me. Despite being incredibly secure in this knowledge and having a multitude of other reasons why having kids would not be a good option for me, people generally react with either complete bewilderment or utter disbelief whenever I make any mention of this.

It just doesn't seem to compute and I think that a lot of it has to do with the traditional interpretation of gender that is most often presented to us within human society. This traditional interpretation is largely based on the concepts of the gender binary and heteronormativity and the roles and expectations that accompany them. Women have traditionally been expected to manage households and raise children and these expectations do not allow for any alternative interpretations of gender as a social construction - such as the idea that motherhood is not the ultimate expression of femininity and that women are in no way obligated or required to have children and that they should have a choice about whether they become parents or not.

It hasn't pervaded the mind of society (at large) that the identities of woman and mother are not necessarily the same thing and that they should be separated. The two are often viewed as being the same thing or with the expectation that a woman will always turn into a mother eventually. I have an offbeat gender identity so I definitely don't agree with any of these traditional interpretations of gender. I agree that men should be expected to have an active role in child raising and household management but I don't necessarily think that either gender (or anyone else of another gender identity) should expect praise for becoming a parent.