Man Celebrated For Fathering Child At 96. No One Cares About His 54-Year-Old Wife Who Delivered
Ramjeet Raghav, a 96-year-old Indian man whose wife, Shankutala, gave birth to a healthy boy is being celebrated all over the Internet for his “virility” and love for sex. Now I really know that there is a crazy double standard when it comes to how we view sexuality in men and women. While he is making headlines all over the Internet, his 54-year-old wife who actually carried and birthed the child is merely a line in each story.
The oldest dad in the world has just been blessed with his second child at the extremely ripe old age of 96. Ramjit Raghav won the title of world’s oldest father two years ago when he fathered his first child at 94 with his wife, Shakuntala, who is now 54.
If his fertility is surprising, then his sex drive is astounding. Accordingto the Daily Mail, Raghav claims to have sex three to four times a night, and that his neighbours are jealous.
Fertility and sex drive are amazing things. But so are conceiving, growing, carrying, and birthing a whole human baby. His wife is 54-years-old. That makes her one of the world’s oldest women to ever conceive naturally. The oldest is Dawn Brooke, a woman who conceived a healthy baby boy at 59. The second oldest is Debbie Hughes, a British grandmother that gave birth this year at age 53.
Yes, having a fully functional sex drive at 96 is pretty impressive. But we all know that the actual act of fathering a child doesn’t take a whole lot of effort. I’m not talking about parenting here, I’m just talking about the act of getting some sperm to reach its destination. A woman’s work begins as soon as it gets there, though. The nausea, the swelling and the extra weight are only the tip of the iceberg. Sorry, but I think that she deserves a headline, too.
You should have seen my prenatal appointments when I had my last child. I was 37. I can’t even tell you how many times I heard the term “advanced maternal age.” Do you know how many extra tests are involved when you give birth at that age? Everywhere you turn, someone is offering advice and freaking you out. You are going to get the amnio, right? At that age you should. Also, you need to get the baby’s nuchal fold tested to make sure he doesn’t have Down’s Syndrome. It’s a lot more common as you get older. Everyone hears the ticking of a woman’s biological clock. But men? Nope. We’re all just so excited that he can still get it up. Hooray!
There are many double standards that exist for men and women, but maybe none as glaring as the one we see here. A 96-year-old man has functional sperm, and we celebrate him in headlines across the world. His wife, the second oldest woman to deliver naturally is just an afterthought. Well I would like to say to Shakuntala – I think you are pretty remarkable, too.
(photo: Tomnamon/Shutterstock.com)
