How to Be Childless: A History and Philosophy of Life Without Children
Rachel Chrastil
Abstract
Childless uncovers the voices and experiences of childless women from the past 500 years and puts them in conversation with research from a broad range of disciplines, from psychology to philosophy to sociology. It addresses two main questions: What are the pathways to childlessness, and how do childless individuals flourish? Eschewing two dominant narratives—that the childless are either barren and alone or that they are carefree and selfish—it views childless individuals as complicated human beings with nuanced life stories. The pathways to childlessness, so often labeled simply “choice” and ... More
Childless uncovers the voices and experiences of childless women from the past 500 years and puts them in conversation with research from a broad range of disciplines, from psychology to philosophy to sociology. It addresses two main questions: What are the pathways to childlessness, and how do childless individuals flourish? Eschewing two dominant narratives—that the childless are either barren and alone or that they are carefree and selfish—it views childless individuals as complicated human beings with nuanced life stories. The pathways to childlessness, so often labeled simply “choice” and “circumstance,” are far more complex and interweaving. Childless examines issues including regret, old age, attitudes toward childlessness, the household, and legacy. Every year, over 80,000 American women with an advanced degree reach age 45 without having given birth. Thousands more debate whether or not to have children. The childless might think that they’re living in a unique situation with little to guide them. But, in reality, they can turn to the vast human experience with childlessness for inspiration, warnings, and guidance.
Keywords:
childless,
childlessness,
voluntary childlessness,
childless by choice,
history,
United States,
France,
Britain,
Germany
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2019 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780190918620 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: August 2019 |
DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190918620.001.0001 |
