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You’d think, in 2019, that the choice to not have children would be acceptable in our society, but American culture can’t accept the reality of a woman who does not want to be a mother. Motherhood is sacred and revered. Not wanting children goes against everything we’ve been taught to think about the concept of family. Women and girls are portrayed in media and pop culture as individuals driven to get married and have children. Yet in reality, there are plenty of women who would rather not have the stresses of parenting or the loss of individual identity. And the pushback against the stigma of not wanting to be a parent has given birth to the childfree movement in America.
Our conversation today centers on the childfree movement and our guest is Dr Amy Blackstone, author of Childfree by Choice: The Movement Redefining Family & Creating a New Age of Independence. Dr Blackstone is a professor in Sociology and the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine where she studies childlessness and the childfree choice. And she is no stranger to a wide range of negative responses when she informs people she doesn’t have – nor does she want – kids.
Music in this episode is Pumpkin Spice by Audiobinger under Creative Commons License and Ride Out by Audiobinger under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License.