Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Reform wants women barefoot and pregnant

829 replies

Sweetiedarling7 · 14/02/2026 07:57

Reform candidate Matt Goodwin wants women to have children early in life and introduce extra taxes as punishment for anyone who chooses not to have children.

Misogyny in plain sight.

How long till they ban abortion too?

Women voting Reform may want to consider if they are turkeys voting for christmas.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
29
Owlbookend · 14/02/2026 10:03

For some women it is best to have children young. For other women it is best to have children later. For some women their preferred choice is to stay childfree. All are valid.
What is not best for any woman is to be lectured by a man (who had children at a later stage) about their choices regarding fertility and reproduction or to be pressurised by taxation changes to have children at all/or at a particular life stage.

PandoraSocks · 14/02/2026 10:03

GinaGstring · 14/02/2026 09:59

Do you not see the hypocrisy in being able to tear your own people to shreds but when another culture that shares the same space as yours does this, you turn a blind eye?

People with far more conservative values are doing this every day and now have such political influence despite being a tiny minority. If they didn’t do this, the right wouldn’t even be a thing right now.

If you’re going to complain about The Handmaid’s Tale style of control, you need to also include the biggest and most egregious proponents of this who are hiding in plain sight waiting to make their move when the time is right.

Show quote history

Who is "hiding in plain sight" what do you mean?

Goldenbear · 14/02/2026 10:03

Unusualdog · 14/02/2026 08:47

Ridiculous post. No one wants women “Barefoot and pregnant”, nor do they “hate women” nor is it “welcome to gilead” . The current system of parents always overworked and babies stuck in professional childcare for long hours doesn’t work for anyone. We need new frameworks, this is one idea, there are many more.

More? Please no more, no more of these unworkable, paranoid fantasies!

Pineneedlesincarpet · 14/02/2026 10:05

HangingOutAtTheRialto · 14/02/2026 10:02

Exactly. Lots of religions are proselytising. It doesn't mean they are a 'threat'.

Show quote history

There's a difference between Islam and political Islamism though. One is fine. The other not so fine. I don't want sectarian politics thanks.

Yewoo · 14/02/2026 10:07

Sartre · 14/02/2026 08:53

To play devil’s advocate… We are facing a bit of a crisis in the west in particular, though swathes of East Asia are experiencing it too. Nobody is dying but very few are being born, the average age is increasing and this impacts public services. I think the average number of children a woman has in Japan is down to like 0.3 or something.

I don’t know what the solution is but I do know lots of couples are waiting until their mid-late thirties or even later in some cases to have children and finding it’s much too late then regretting it. I have noticed I’m always one of the youngest parents still at school, even though I was 27 when my youngest DC was born. Most seem to be at least a decade older, in some instances 15ish years above me. They’re more likely to stop at one child too.

I’m not a fan of Reform but I do think women have been fed a lie of being able to have it all. You can be successful and have children but I think women need to realise their fertility isn’t finite, it does decrease after 35.

Edited

A large part of the solution is massive redistribution of wealth and services away from retired people and the elderly to the young. But nobody likes to hear that, they’d rather berate women in their 20s-40s for choosing to not have children they know they can’t afford.

Coffeeandbooks88 · 14/02/2026 10:07

Are they going to pay for them to stay at home then?

Owlbookend · 14/02/2026 10:07

GinaGstring · 14/02/2026 09:59

Do you not see the hypocrisy in being able to tear your own people to shreds but when another culture that shares the same space as yours does this, you turn a blind eye?

People with far more conservative values are doing this every day and now have such political influence despite being a tiny minority. If they didn’t do this, the right wouldn’t even be a thing right now.

If you’re going to complain about The Handmaid’s Tale style of control, you need to also include the biggest and most egregious proponents of this who are hiding in plain sight waiting to make their move when the time is right.

Show quote history

What are you talking about? Could you be a bit more specific? Who is 'hiding in plain sight'?

Pineneedlesincarpet · 14/02/2026 10:10

Yewoo · 14/02/2026 10:07

A large part of the solution is massive redistribution of wealth and services away from retired people and the elderly to the young. But nobody likes to hear that, they’d rather berate women in their 20s-40s for choosing to not have children they know they can’t afford.

Show quote history

I agree with this.

Casperroonie · 14/02/2026 10:13

Sweetiedarling7 · 14/02/2026 07:57

Reform candidate Matt Goodwin wants women to have children early in life and introduce extra taxes as punishment for anyone who chooses not to have children.

Misogyny in plain sight.

How long till they ban abortion too?

Women voting Reform may want to consider if they are turkeys voting for christmas.

The only surprise is that anyone is surprised by what they're saying.

Look at Brexit, turkey-mode in plain sight.

Very depressing

Dragonfruitini · 14/02/2026 10:13

Haggis0381 · 14/02/2026 09:43

I disagree. I see far too many people having kids young, in their 20s, when you're just a kid yourself. A lot of people don't have the life experience and knowledge to raise kids well at this age. Not implying that's you - and of course everyone matures at different rates. But, speaking of men in particular, I know very few in their 20s capable and mature enough of raising a family properly. Mid 30s is a better age and generally offers people more stability in terms of career, knowing what they want in life, etc. I've seen too many friends settle down and have babies in their 20s only to find themselves single mums in their 30s.

Show quote history

I had my kids at 16 and 24, same dad, same age as me. Not to blow my own horn but my kids are being raised very well oldest has a reading age of 12 at 8.
Anyway I think what’s far more important than what age women have their children is people who abuse drugs/alcholol having children and then struggling to raise them. Doomed from the get go with FAS if not taken into foster care straight away they are subjected to a life of neglect, struggle to make friends because of unwashed clothes and untreated lice. It’s very sad and far more important than whether the mother was 20 or 40.

Fishrepeating · 14/02/2026 10:13

fartoomuchtoblerone · 14/02/2026 08:07

I must’ve missed the bit where they had a credible plan to sort all the economic issues that mean many families have to have two full time working parents to get by, or to encourage more men to work part time.

Show quote history

Exactly this.

Reform need to be careful about their bold statements. If more people start to believe their lies, they may well get elected and asked to deliver on them.

KimberleyClark · 14/02/2026 10:13

I’d be fine with this as long as childless men are affected too. If you don’t directly participate in creating the next generation, then it is reasonable, especially in a British context where the young generation basically are heavily taxed to fund the elderly anyway.

What about those who can’t have children? Would you make it compulsory for them to use gamete donors/surrogates or adopt if they can’t produce their own child, in order not to pay extra taxes?

CandleRigg89 · 14/02/2026 10:15

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 14/02/2026 08:01

Reform are hateful.

However l wish id had my children earlier. In terms of energy, delivery and longevity l’ve always thought 20’s were the best age.

Literally absolutely nothing to do with the point. You might regret YOUR choices. Others don’t.

Primrose86 · 14/02/2026 10:17

Thelostjewels · 14/02/2026 09:56

@Primrose86 of course people feel pressured or don't think about it at all because now we have followed the American route that it's the done thing.

We've all seen what's happened at nurseries recently they are not the be all and end all.

A balance is needed and careful consideration of child care choices.

The gov howevr clearly wants us to hand our DC over to mostly under paid over stressed youngsters and get to work

How many people do you know send their kids to nursery if they had willing and non toxic grandparents or family members to care for their children. Or the financial means to not work.

I am on statutory maternity allowance during maternity leave and a fellow mum said that must be so hard. Indeed I had to use my savings even though it was not as bad as people would make it out to be as our flat was purchased mainly on the basis of one income (as they didnt want to lend us so much due to me being on a visa). So basically I have the 1950s set up of our home being purchased on the basis of one income (and we are in a tiny 2 bed flat) but I still can't make it work financially on 1 income. My dh is also on 75k.

I want better for our child though, I am raising him trilingual so bring him to mummy and me mandarin classes at 6 months and we also do swimming and baby sign language. However we dont expect to upgrade to the semi detached that most mumsnetters expect and we are sticking to one child. Even if we didnt pay for nursery this would be the case.

So if a car- less, 2 bed apartment owning family with 1 child can't make it work on 1 income of 75k, i am not sure who can. Our mortgage is 1282 and we have 40% equity. We saved 60k in 3 years in our 20s so not frivolous spenders. When i go back to work, we could afford nursery and possibly private education. You see how tempting it is.

KimberleyClark · 14/02/2026 10:17

Owlbookend · 14/02/2026 10:03

For some women it is best to have children young. For other women it is best to have children later. For some women their preferred choice is to stay childfree. All are valid.
What is not best for any woman is to be lectured by a man (who had children at a later stage) about their choices regarding fertility and reproduction or to be pressurised by taxation changes to have children at all/or at a particular life stage.

The trouble with the “women should have children young” is that not all women in their 20s will be sufficiently mature to select a good father, and most men in their 20s are not mature enough, or even willing to have children at that point in their lives. So they’ll probably end up as single mothers anyway.

Plasticdreams · 14/02/2026 10:20

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 14/02/2026 08:03

I dont even know where to start with this...

Does it only apply to women?
What about fertility issues?
What if you are gay?
Do you just go in benefits to avoid tax if you cant / dont want to breed?
Do childless men get taxed too???

Edited

Nigel Farage’s Response:

Does it only apply to women? Yes
What about fertility issues? You’ll pay higher taxes
What if you are gay? You’re not allowed to be.
Do you just go in benefits to avoid tax if you cant / dont want to breed? What benefits!?
Do childless men get taxed too??? No

genesis92 · 14/02/2026 10:20

What’s your plan for the declining birth rate OP? Are you childless? If so who are you expecting to pay your pension and social care when you get old?

Its amazing how you’ve re-worded “tax breaks for parents” to be as divisive at possible.

Rightsraptor · 14/02/2026 10:22

OP, do you have proof of your statement? You've just dopped it in here, no proof or evidence, and done a runner.

I, for one, don't appreciate that.

Pineneedlesincarpet · 14/02/2026 10:22

I dont see how you can have kids young if you want to go into a profession for example. That's years of higher education and then long hours to establish yourself and compete with the blokes. Maybe client entertaining in the evening. I have huge respect for women that do do both but I can't imagine how their manage it.

AffableApple · 14/02/2026 10:23

Owlbookend · 14/02/2026 10:03

For some women it is best to have children young. For other women it is best to have children later. For some women their preferred choice is to stay childfree. All are valid.
What is not best for any woman is to be lectured by a man (who had children at a later stage) about their choices regarding fertility and reproduction or to be pressurised by taxation changes to have children at all/or at a particular life stage.

This.

Also bless Reform's dear hearts for finally attempting to have some semblance of policy.

(It's so depressing that people are voting/intending to vote for all this.)

cleaningthebog · 14/02/2026 10:24

Sweetiedarling7 · 14/02/2026 07:57

Reform candidate Matt Goodwin wants women to have children early in life and introduce extra taxes as punishment for anyone who chooses not to have children.

Misogyny in plain sight.

How long till they ban abortion too?

Women voting Reform may want to consider if they are turkeys voting for christmas.

evidence please

TiredCatLady · 14/02/2026 10:24

@NeverDropYourMooncup he does seem overly invested in what young women are doing with their bodies doesn’t he?

I re-iterate: creep.

RainbowBagels · 14/02/2026 10:25

theagreementwas · 14/02/2026 08:09

But don’t they also want to keep the 2 child UC limit and lower minimum wage? The combination of ideas seem a bit contradictory

They are idiotic scumbags with no ideas apart from souindbytes but they were at one stage advocating for the removal of the 2 child limit. Farage has only recently changed it as Labour has done it. Probably because its proved unpopukar with his voter base.

Drivingmissrangey · 14/02/2026 10:26

Thisseasonsdiamante · 14/02/2026 08:11

I had children in my twenties and early thirties and I do think it is the right time to be having children biologically. It is still much later than previous generations on average. So I definitely would like to see policies enabling this.

I also think both parents should get a years leave each in their children’s first two years, mothers year 1 and fathers year 2 so children are with both parents in early years Housing and living costs and policies should broadly support this. That’s who I would vote for.

The problem with most people who make family related policies is they don’t live in the real world.

I would actually prefer a situation where both parents get to take 12 months as long as it’s a solid 12 months and not this complete shit show of a policy that we have at the moment that allows people to take their leave in numerous chunks of time. It’s a complete nightmare for organising paternity cover.

Swipe left for the next trending thread