I never expected such replies when I posted my reply. Thank you everyone for your support. Bev, thank you, it's comforting to know that I am not alone.
I'm not really looking for sympathy here. The first responses in this thread were quite positive, and I am happy that these posters are having a great time in France, but I know that there is not a lot out there (including on this site) about being childfree and a foreigner in France. I typed in "childless" into the search engine as well and I came up with a post from a women who packed up and left France because of this issue. I think more should be said about this so other childfree or childless women thinking of moving to France will be aware of the way things are here. When I saw ello's post about meeting French women it prompted my post. Ello: I saw your post before I wrote mine and while I am happy that you have found friends this way, your post was the springboard for me wanting to raise awareness about being childfree in France for future childfree expats in France. You don't have to feel sorry about me and I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable by using your post to start off a discussion about being childfree. I do want to create a blog, but I am worried about any future repercussions that may have for my reputation on the internet. I couldn't really go into too much detail if I wanted to protect my privacy. I could make it private but then how would I meet people through it...?
Maybe I didn't give off the vibe that I like my life here, but the truth is that I love my life here. I am lonely, but I am also a very lucky person. I am healthy and my husband is such a good person. I speak French fluently and am able to talk with just about anybody. I enjoy everything France has to offer, including beautiful cities and countryside, interesting people, and wonderful food.
I am actually very happy with being a housewife. I love cooking, cleaning and taking care of errands so my husband can come home at night and relax. My husband has no problem with this - he knows that I made a sacrifice to live here (in this city) with him and he just wants me to be happy (and he hates washing dishes, haha!). I do actually work from home, I do some part-time freelance work. My husband travels quite a bit for work and I accompany him on most of his trips. I do enjoy the company of most of his friends, it's just that I would love to have my own close French friends. As Bev said, however, this can prove to be a difficult task to accomplish.
You are right, Bev, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being friends that are older than me. I guess I have complex - I am afraid that they won't be able to relate to me, preferring to share similar experiences with people their own age. I should have my neighbour over more often, and invite other older people (as in significantly older than me, I am not saying that my neighbour is old!) that live in my building.
You are also right when you say that it would not be easy being childfree in North America either. I do think, however, that because of family values in France, that having children here is more important. This, coupled with the fact that I am a foreigner, makes things more difficult here for me.
I never really saw myself as a careerwomen. I think if I had the chance, I would have a full-time job, but here out in province there are practically no jobs in the field I trained to work in. I would have to move to Paris or Geneva for that. A lot of French couples live apart, one finds a job in one city and the other one lives somewhere else. I kick myself because I just can't seem to muster up the courage to leave and live the lifestyle that so many people here live - working somewhere far away during the week and spending the weekends together.
I did work for a French company as a stagaire once, and I found it difficult to handle the whole idea of heirarchy. I feared my boss and found it difficult to share my ideas - this is the opposite of Canada, where employees are expected to share innovative ideas. I am a very sensitive person and the entire time I was there I was just shaking like a leaf. If I could find a job here I think I could handle it with my husband's support, but that probably isn't going to happen here. And Bev is right, the other employees are nice, but when work is over, they usually go home to their families and their own lives.
NewMexicanMove asked me what I want from life. What do I want? Peace and travel. And I have both. That's what I really love. But I would also really love to meet other childfree women who are quiet people and love to travel a lot. Not an easy feat to accomplish. I couldn't believe it when NewMexicanMove suggested I go on the pilgrimage to Santiago. I actually have been thinking of doing this for last couple of years! I also do dream of developing home business more. You are right, I do need to become an expert.
I think I am a difficult person. I am not sporty at all (although I have joined my building's cardio class), I don't really like make-up, fashion, shopping, music and dancing. I like to eat and drink wine, haha. I guess I'm not that bad...
In conclusion, I am really happy here, but I long for the company of other women, friends that I make myself. I am quite introverted, so I know I need to make more effort. I am just afraid of forcing myself upon people. I feel that true friendships should develop naturally and you need time for that.
Thanks again everyone for your responses.