The Most Important Job In The World

Should we become parents? It's a question that forces us to reckon with what we love and fear most in ourselves, in our relationships, and in the world as it is now and as it will be.When Gina Rushton admitted she had little time left to make the decision for herself, the magnitude of the choice overwhelmed her. Her search for her own 'yes' or 'no' only uncovered more questions to be answered.How do we clearly consider creating a new life on a planet facing catastrophic climate change? How do we reassess the gender roles we have been assigned? How do we balance ascending careers with declining fertility? How do we know if we've found the right co-parent, or if we want to go it alone, or if we don't want to do it at all?Drawing on the depth of knowledge afforded by her body of work as an award-winning journalist, Rushton wrote the book that she needed, and others need, to stop a panicked internal monologue and start a genuine dialogue about what we want from our lives and why. The Most Important Job in the World is a powerful, compelling and forensic analysis of the role of motherhood in society today, and the competing forces that draw us towards and away from it.PRAISE FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB IN THE WORLD'Gina Rushton searingly describes the complex internal conflict so many young women feel: do I want kids? And what becomes of me if I do, or don't? I've not read a book that so perfectly captures how I feel as a woman in her late twenties.' Zara McDonald, host of Shameless podcast and bestselling author of The Space Between'Gina Rushton reports unflinchingly from the disjunction between received wisdoms about motherhood and received realities that continue to constrict the choices of women of her generation. A significant and vital book; a must-read.' Sarah Krasnostein, bestselling author of The Trauma Cleaner'Grounded in Rushton's years of frontline reporting on reproductive access, this book reflects on both the politics and philosophies underpinning parenthood. It challenged some of my deeply ingrained presumptions about the career-family binary, and Rushton is unafraid to sit with ambivalence. Contraception, legacy, loss, climate change... it's all here. I am so glad this book exists and I am glad I read it.' Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull'I can't remember the last book that made me think so much - about all sorts of things I didn't expect. Gina Rushton is what every writer should be - both wise and curious - and when I had finished her fascinating book I saw the world in new ways.' Sean Kelly'The Most Important Job in the World keenly captures the rollercoaster of anxiety and hope that embodies living at this moment in history. Gina Rushton has written a book that is globally impactful and deeply personal at once, further solidifying her status as one of this country's most exciting writers. This is a generation-defining text that everyone (not only those considering parenthood) must read immediately.' Gen Fricker'Gina Rushton interrogates the most personal, political and primal anxieties of our generation, and delivers a clarity so sharp, it borders on pain. But the pain is transformative when shared and given shape, and I read The Most Important Job in the World feeling nothing short of seen, consoled and grateful.' Benjamin Law'A mesmerising investigation into the beauty and trauma of motherhood.' Samantha Maiden

Gina Rushton begins her story in a place that so many women seem to arrive at too often, both literally and metaphorically, when it comes to fertility and the question of motherhood-in pain, on the bathroom floor, unsure what to do next. Rushton's medical emergency puts into question her convictions about not having children. As a journalist, she understands the world through research and investigation. What follows the opening scene of The Most Important Job in the World is a deep exploration of what the author describes as a question too complex and too full of contradictions to answer: Should she-should we as women and as a society-have babies? Rushton is, of course, correct: this question is almost impossible to answer easily. The power of Rushton's book, however, is that it doesn't shy away from the tough questions. Is having children in the time of severe climate change a selfish act? Are women 'natural' caregivers or is this a convenient lie? Why do First Nations women have a standard of healthcare that is so much lower than that of white women? The answers sear the heart. I am a woman considering motherhood after living most of my life assuming I wouldn't. Rushton's approach to understanding this stage of life is courageous and unflinching; her prose is introspective and relatable. Readers who liked The Wife Drought by Annabel Crabb will appreciate this important, feminist read. Rebecca Whitehead is a freelance writer from Melbourne.

Gina Rushton is a journalist. Her reporting has appeared in Australian Associated Press, BuzzFeed News, The Guardian, The Australian, The Saturday Paper, The Monthly, Crikey, Business Insider Australia and The West Australian.

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