Getting real with Mary Jane. Gabrielle Union revealed her fertility struggle in a no-holds-barred new interview with Redbook, detailing the painful process of having a baby with her husband, Dwyane Wade.
Union, 42, was open about how she's prioritized her career — and now she feels like she's bearing the consequences. "The reality is that women are discriminated against in the workplace for being mothers," the Being Mary Jane star told Redbook. "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.'"
After finding true love — Union and Wade, 33, married in a star-studded ceremony last August — the Bring It On actress is finally in a place where she's ready to start a family. "So far, it has not happened for us," Union confessed. "A lot of my friends deal with this."
She went on to reflect about what happens to women when they prioritize work. "There's a certain amount of shame that is placed on women who have perhaps chosen a career over starting a family younger," she told the mag. "The penance for being a career woman is barrenness. You feel like you're wearing a scarlet letter."
Union, however, is a stepmom to Wade's sons Zion, 8, Zaire, 13, his kids from a previous relationship, and the NBA superstar's youngest Xavier, 20 months, who was conceived while he and Union were on a brief break.
The in-love actress explained why her relationship with her husband, who's nine years younger, works. "I realized his friends, his teammates, were conceived when I was, like, a senior in high school," the star joked. "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."
