Gabrielle Union has a great life, a successful acting career and a marriage to her best friend, Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade.  One thing noticeably missing however is a child of her own.  She’s stepped up as a stepmother to Wade’s two sons and adopted nephew but she and Wade have not had a child together yet.  Appearing as one of the cover girls for Redbook‘s October issue, Union discussed being married to a younger guy, stepparenting, and the pressures of being a woman who has prioritized her career over having children.

On the weird thing about being married to a younger man… 

“I realized his friends, his teammates, were conceived when I was, like, a senior in high school. I was in high school at the same time as their parents! Sometimes he’ll be like, ‘Oh, my God, he’s so old!’ about someone who’s 35. But, Dwyane’s an old 33, and I’m a young 42, so it balances out.”

On how hard it is for working women with children… 

“The reality is that women are discriminated against in the workplace for being mothers. As much as there are strides being made – you get pregnant, your career takes a hit. You can’t have a bad day. Don’t you dare cry at work. Don’t raise your voice. Especially if you’re a black woman in corporate America—now you’re ‘the angry black woman.'”

On IVF and the pressures of trying for a family later in life… 

“So far, it has not happened for us. A lot of my friends deal with this. There’s a certain amount of shame that is placed on women who have perhaps chosen a career over starting a family younger. The penance for being a career woman is barrenness. You feel like you’re wearing a scarlet letter.”

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source: Redbook