The Female Factory: ‘Baggage’

Angela loves badgers. Angela thinks they’re adorable. Angela might be slightly obsessed with them − to the point where she made Lisa sit down and watch the aforementioned documentary, Badgers − Secrets of the Sett. Lisa also enjoyed the documentary (or said she did) … the important thing to remember is the idea that stuck with her: that badger females can keep fertilised eggs in stasis in the womb for months, until it is safe for them to begin gestation.

So, when we were looking for a first story for the collection, Lisa brought up this intriguing feature and said, ‘What if a woman could do that?’ We took it further: what if a woman could have absolute control over her reproductive system? What if she could decide how many babies to have, and when, and with whom? And what if big business, in a world where fertility rates are dropping like an out-of-control elevator, found a way to take back that control of a most intimate process?

Thus Robin was born. She was hard to write; she’s not a pleasant character, but there is something one grudgingly admires about her tenacity. The story also challenged all the pink and fluffy ideas about motherhood being a wonderful thing, and examines the harsher side for those who can, and those who cannot, have children.

If this tickles your fancy, you can get yourself a copy of The Female Factory here.