Procreation: How Others Perceive those who Can not or will not

Abstract

Research indicates childless couples in the United States, a pronatalist society, are stigmatized regardless of why they are childless. In the current study, 152 college students rated a couple who was either voluntarily childless, involuntarily childless, or parents on a variety personality traits, and reported their perceptions of the couple and their relationship satisfaction. A loan approval task was utilized as a subtle measure of discrimination. Although no statistically significant differences between couples existed, the loan rates were in the hypothesized direction. Additionally, the mother was perceived significantly more favorably than the childless wives regardless of why they were childless.