Why do you enjoy being a woman?

I found women magical when I was little. Where I grew up women cooked which was definition of magic. Making food out of hard and inedible stuff. They made clothes out of shapeless cloth. And they always had a big project going on which was seasonal. For example, making jam out of rose petals. With all the smell and colour. Never mind that they grew a whole new person in their tummies. I could not wait till I grew up and became more like them. Men in my family worked in the office so to me they looked like children as women always looked after them and they also had flat chests. They were like me but difference was that I could grow up to become a woman and they couldn't. I am not being fair to men as those men whom I would class as "magical" as child were not in my family. Oh well, then I grew up a bit and looked around me and then I did not want to be a woman.

I always, always wanted to have a baby, be pregnant, give birth and breastfeed. Always.

So when I finally got pregnant I was so excited, but had HG so badly I got admitted to hospital for weeks. I considered an abortion, I seriously considered suicide and had to call the Samaritans. My birth went so wrong, we could have lost her and my EMCS was terrifying. Due to severe birth trauma and PTSD my milk never came in and I took months to recover and didn't bond with my baby properly. I felt cheated- this to me was the best thing about being a woman.

But now I look at her and I get to think, I'm a mum. I'm her mum. And one day she will call me mum and that will be the best ever day of being a woman for me

The only thing that objectively makes me female are the things my female body can do that men's bodies can't.

I do think it's mindblowing that I made people. And fed them with my body.

Even years on I just think wow. Can't believe I did that. It almost feels like science fiction.

I also love that as I realise my place in the world I'm finding actual kinship with other women. We are all waking up to our similar experiences of navigating our lives in this type of body, and knowing I'm not alone, feeling this solidarity is immense. Powerful.

The trust I have automatically from people because I am not male and not a threat. I can have more relaxed and friendly conversations with strangers. My dh says he feels more accepted when he is with me and our little one out and about ( he does have a bitchy resting face though)
I can have a real laugh with people and tell a joke without being interpreted as creepy or untrustworthy. I have no issues with being around small children or anyone vulnerable that some one may think I am a pervert. I love the clothes and my body and the way it moves.

Because I like being alive, I suppose. I don't have a choice about what biological sex I am after all.

To be honest, I feel a little uncomfortable about making lists like these, as instead of celebrating it, or almost ends up defining womanhood in ways which can be appropriated (if I can do xyz, I can be a woman too), whereas boringly, it's just a matter of biology.

I don't "like" being a woman, I just exist as one.

The ability to wear a pencil skirt with a pair of hips.

Oh I did love breast feeding, (definitely that more than being pregnant, which was crap, felt sick a lot). If I think about it I can almost feel the 'let down' (is that what it's called?) and my baby is a teenager.

My favourite thing about being a woman is that I grew my children in my body and gave birth to them. I was able to be their sole source of nourishment for a while. I enjoy being a sahm so for me, the expectation that women do the majority of child rearing has worked in my favour.

This. I love being a mum and now a gran. While motherhood doesn't define me it's a huge part of who I am and something I treasure and I count myself very lucky to have been able to experience.

Feel like I’m the only one who’s never had a multiple orgasm
My breasts are also the wrong shape to breastfeed, I hated pregnancy and am not a fan of babies.
I’d be happy if I woke with no boobs and a dick, don’t think DH would though

Motherhood. Hated pregnancy & giving birth - would gladly have let xh do both! - but looking back...yeah, go female me.

Other than that you can keep it. I'm happy with my female body; if I woke up tomorrow with a male one that would a) be interesting & fun & b) probably make give me a tad more career gravitas.

Increasingly, since I stopped having babies & definitely since recent menopause, it's just not important to me either way. The current boyfriend wouldn't fancy me if i were male bodied. That's about it.

"Although obviously the multiple orgasms are a bonus!"
I guess, being a dyke, I never had anything to compare with, so as far as I'm concerned, the multiple stuff was just normal. And the lesbians I knew who had had sex with men previously, I guess the conversation was more about how males weren't that pleasing, rather than their own response. My one moment of extreme smugness though was sharing an office with a straight chap, who kept complaining that the lesbians upstairs were at it for hours and kept giggling................

And compared to gay men, we're cuddlier!

I think being born female is the biggest disappointment of my life. But I am what I am so what I enjoy about it now is being fucking awesome at my job.

I loved being pregnant and breastfeeding

I was born a woman; therefore I am a woman. End of.

I grew one of my children in my body, and other I grew in a pot in the garden (actually he was adopted but anyway). I love the fact I have birth to one child but curiously the fact I did not give birth to the other hasn't stopped my relationship blooming with him.

I don;t especially like being a woman, I think we are shat on fro a great height. I feel so angry women are treated so badly in society and I can't get round it. Nothing about nice clothes, or variety of colours or my on again off again affair with shoes makes up for the way women are singled out for bad things in life.

BUT being a woman is what I am and there is no other option for me so I better just smile and carry on.

I don't particularly like or dislike being a woman; I just am one. Most of the time I just feel like a person.

Having said that, being pregnant, having 2 babies and breastfeeding them was pretty amazing. Very tiring too though!

Because I had to work so hard to achieve this feeling of womanhood.

I'm another one who feels not especially wedded to it. Some social aspects of being a woman suit me, some do not. Same with some aspects of my body; pregnancy was ...interesting... and I value having done it, but equally I would have been okay with trading it for a lifetime of no periods. But it is what it is, it's me, and fundamentally I do like "me" so there we go.

I thought we had moved past that and were heading to a place in time where sex and gender were largely irrelevant

I grew up believing this is where we were heading too, and being pleased about it.

Growing and feeding my DC with my own body was amazing. But the best bit was being the woman who got my husband.

Most other specifically female or feminine things are meh at best.

Babies

Female friendship

Sparkly shoes

My favourite thing about being a woman is that I grew my children in my body and gave birth to them. I was able to be their sole source of nourishment for a while.

This

I liked making/feeding babies with my body, felt lucky to be the person who grew them and breastfed them. On the flip side I don't like periods or that the malfunctioning parts of my body related to that are on the inside and require surgery.

Other than that I just like being a person, there has been nothing other than the baby making which has been particularly good or bad or different other than that in my life that because I am female.

None of my relationships (career, social, family), achievements or life experiences are in anyway influenced by being female and the amount of generalising about 'men' and 'women' on MN I find saddening and hope it is not a reflection of the reality in this country - thankfully in my own experience it hasn't been. I thought we had moved past that and were heading to a place in time where sex and gender were largely irrelevant. According to a lot of stuff I've read on here recently, apparently not!

Although obviously the multiple orgasms are a bonus!

I don’t. Can’t think of of anything remotely enjoyable about it.