If you’re a fan of the Duggar family, then you’re no doubt aware of the continued controversy surrounding Jana Duggar’s love life – or lack thereof.
Jana is single, and at 28, that may not seem like such a big deal, but the Duggars prioritize procreation over all things, and for a woman to be childless at Jana’s age is virtually unheard of in their community.
The question of why Jana remains single has long been a subject of debate for fans.
She’s a charismatic, ambitious and attractive young woman who’s known to be great with kids and handy around the house.
And it certainly doesn’t hurt that she comes from Arkansas’ second-wealthiest family. (It’s tough to top those Waltons.)
And yet, Jana remains unattached.
The situation has fans curious with regard to what might be preventing Jana from starting a family.
And as In Touch Weekly points out, it seems the debate is divided into two camps:
There are those who believe Jana simply doesn’t want to have children.
And there are those who believe she’s considered damaged goods in the Duggars’ close-knit community.
Adherents to the former theory believe that Jana is content to remain at home and help with the raising of her younger siblings.
Some even argue that she might be so exhausted from years of helping her mother that the idea of starting her own family seems impossibly daunting.
“What if she doesn’t actually want to be a mother at this point?” one Reddit user recently opined on a Duggar fan subreddit.
“She’s been raising her younger siblings so long, the thought of having her own and starting over could be exhausting.”
Others believe Jana looks at her sisters’ lives as cautionary tales and fears falling into the same trap that’s ensnared so many of them.
“I feel like she’s watched all her other siblings choose the wrong partners and she wants to avoid doing that,”
“I also feel like she’s single because she feels like she’d be obligated to have kids right away, and she probably doesn’t want kids considering how much she’s had to take care of the younger siblings.”
Compelling arguments, to be sure.
But it’s the latter theory that’s really gaining traction these days, as fans accept the idea that for as much as Jana is beloved by Counting On viewers, she might not be seen as wife material by her peers.
“I’ve always wondered if she missed her window,” one fan commented on Reddit recently.
“I’d love to believe that she didn’t want to just get married and have tons of babies with whoever happens to ask her to court, but I think she just missed her chance.
“I think Jim Bob or Jana turned one interested party down and no one else asked and then she turned a certain age and she was deemed too old in their community.”
It’s a sad possibility to contemplate, but unfortunately, it’s also a very plausible one.
It’s absurd to think of a 28-year-old woman as being too old for, well … anything, really, but members of the Quiverfull movement – of which the Duggars are strict adherents – are taught from a young age that procreation is their primary reason for being.
Boys and girls alike are taught that they’ve been given life for two reasons – to worship God and to create more life.
It’s not uncommon for Duggar women to marry while still in their teens and to get pregnant on their honeymoons.
A woman who’s approaching 30 obviously doesn’t have as many child-bearing years ahead of her as a woman in her early 20s, which is something that potential suitors no doubt consider when contemplating marriage with someone in Jana’s position.
Fortunately, as many fans have pointed out, there’s an easy solution to the dilemma:
Jana simply needs to break free from the belief system that’s stifling her and find a man who’s interested in more than her uterus.
Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most controversial family.
