A Phenomenological Study on Voluntarily Childless Women

Abstract

The way in which women decide to have children is affected by many processes, including personal, social, historical, and political. Maternity is seen as an inevitable part of women's happiness and a complement to their femininity. In traditional Turkish family structure, femininity is sanctified through maternity, and the status of women in the family and society is shaped by whether they have children or not. The status of women began to change with urbanization and also by virtue of women's increasing participation in the workforce. The idea began to be expressed that maternity is not necessarily the fate of women, and given that it is a preference, which includes not only satisfaction but also difficulty, childlessness might be preferred. This study aims to examine the voluntary childlessness preferences of women. For this purpose, the study group consisted of four married women, who currently do not have children and who prefer not to have children. The age of the participants varies between 30 and 40 years and they are all voluntary. The study is designed according to descriptive phenomenology design of qualitative research methodology. The data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. In the analysis of the data, Colaizzi's (1978) phenomenological analysis steps were followed. During the interviews, it was seen that participants emphasized the concepts of responsibility and care giving. As a result of the analysis, it appears that the data are combined under the following themes: the meaning of maternity, the meaning of the concept of maternity in social circles, the meaning of not wanting a child, effects of voluntary childlessness, the decision of voluntary childlessness, social reactions to voluntary childlessness, and dilemmas experienced in the face of voluntary childlessness. It was observed that instinctive attitudes about maternity and perceptions on child bearing are still ongoing, that the pressure of being a mother has been preserved in the social environment, and that voluntarily childfree women define childlessness as freedom in many areas of life. With this study we make a contribution to the literature by attending to the voice of voluntarily childless women in the context of a woman's right to decide on her own body.

Life Stories of Voluntarily Childless Older People: A Retrospective View on Their Reasons and Experiences

“…Nevertheless, voluntarily childless older people do not often regret their choice to remain childless, and some even explicitly experience a feeling of relief. Young people today indicate that they sometimes doubt whether they would remain childless or not (Ahmadi et al, 2019), but the experiences of the older generations make clear that the fear of regret experienced by young people today when choosing for childlessness (Parlak & Tekin, 2020) is thus not always appropriate. Jeffries and Konnert furthermore indicated in 2002 that "those who do not perceive their childlessness as a choice are more likely to express regret, and these regrets are typically more serious and sustained" (p. 103).…”

“…Young people today, for example, sometimes doubt their choice to remain childless (Ahmadi et al, 2019), or already experienced a stigma at an early age as a result of their voluntary childlessness (Ashburn-Nardo, 2017). Also, the fear of regret in the future sometimes plays a role in the decision-making process (Parlak & Tekin, 2020). Therefore, it is interesting to examine how older people look back on their voluntary childlessness, to determine whether the assumptions or fear of younger generations are correct.…”

Chinese Women’s Concept of Childbirth Based on the Social Media Topic “What Does Childbirth Mean to a Woman”: Content and Thematic Analysis

“…These norms make some mothers feel uncomfortable and distressed [42,43]. This kind of sacrifice has also faced criticism from some feminists because sacrifices made for children and partners might perpetuate oppressive gender norms, burdening women and further relinquishing their freedom [44,45]. This article reveals that the elevated social expectations imposed on mothers can be internalized, leading to the establishment of high standards for themselves.…”

Gönüllü Çocuksuzluk: Çocuk Sahibi Olmama Kararının Altında Yatan Faktörler ve Karşılaşılan Tepkiler Hakkında Bir Derleme

“…Örneğin, Türkiye'de yapılmış bir nitel çalışmada, çocuksuz kalmayı seçen kadınların toplumun kadınlığı annelik üzerinden inşa etmesine karşı çıktıkları ve anneliği hayat boyu süren ve kendi yaşamlarından bir şeyler alıp götüren bir fedakarlık olarak gördükleri bulunmuştur. Katılımcılar aynı zamanda, ebeveynliğin toplumda kadın ve erkek arasında paylaşılan bir görev değil, sadece anneye yüklenen bir rol olarak gördüklerini ve Psikoloji Çalışmaları -Studies in Psychology Cilt/Volume: 41, Sayı/Issue: 1, 2021 bu rolü üstlenmek istemedikleri için çocuksuz kalmayı tercih ettiklerini de ifade etmişlerdir (Parlak ve Tekin, 2020).…”