Show 43: The Childfree Decision
NOT EVERYONE HAS kids. Deciding not to become a parent can be just as big of a decision as opting to start a family. On this episode of Kids These Days! we speak with two authors who are childfree about why they made the choice to live life without littles and how it impacts their current lives in ways both negative and positive.
IN-STUDIO GUESTS: Childfree by chance, Lisa Manterfield the author of I'm Taking My Eggs and Going Home: How One Woman Dared to Say No to Motherhood, shares how a long struggle with infertility began to consume her life, leading her to make a tough decision; and childfree by choice, Dr. Ellen Walker penned Complete Without Kids: An Insider's Guide to Childfree Living by Choice or By Chance, speaks about both personal and societal acceptance of those who've chosen to not have children.
"Childlessness felt like a grieving or a missing out on something essential. So instead, I chose to use the word childfree... Childfree as opposed to childless also demonstrates the positive feeling I have about my own personal choice, without in any way criticizing the choice of those who have decided to have children. - Dr. Ellen Walker, from Complete Without Kids.
FEATURED STORIES:
• Childlessness Rates Up; Shifting Social Attitudes - A recent Pew Research study found that rates of childlessness among all women are on the rise - we ask: could this be due to increasingly tolerant social attitudes towards women who aren't mothers? Dr. Gretchen Livingston, a Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Foundation, explains more about her recent report.
• Aging Without Children - A common question directed at those without kids is: “What happens when you get old?” So we asked Dr. Ann Jache, a sociology professor specializing in aging- what are the daily - and long-term – concerns of those growing old without kids?
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  This show is made possible by the Association of Alaska School Boards’ Initiative for Community Engagement, an initiative funded by the US Dept. of Education to provide Alaskans with information, tools and assistance to work together and engage in the shared responsibility of preparing Alaska’s children and youth for the future. |
Via email from
Via email from anonymous:
"The answer to what to say when people ask if you have kids? Graciously say no, and simply return the question. No need to give an excuse. It's not weird, it's just a choice. I also choose not to have birds or fish. And no Mother's Day doesn't bother me either, I celebrate my mom, my grandmother, my friends, and then I go have a bottle of wine to celebrate that my house is quiet and childless."
Via email from Amelia: "I am
Via email from Amelia:
"I am a 31 year old childless woman. I am also an airline pilot. This job keeps me away from home for half of the month and I decided, long ago, that becoming a pilot, kept me from becoming a responsible mother. Other female pilots have children and are happy, but this is my choice and I have not regretted it yet. An added note: the percentage of my female pilots who have made the same decision is far higher than the national average of 20 percent."