Psychotherapists' Empathy for Childfree Women of Intersecting Age and Socioeconomic Status

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to discern the empathy ability of psychotherapists for childfree female clients with intersectional identities. Each participating psychotherapist was randomly assigned to view one of four mock video sessions with a childfree woman of varying age and socioeconomic status (SES). Psychotherapists rated their ability to empathize for the woman in their assigned mocked video. An analysis of variance revealed that psychotherapists experienced higher empathy ability for a childfree woman of younger age and lower SES than for an older and upper-SES childfree woman. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Sterilized and Satisfied: Outcomes of Childfree Sterilization Obtainment and Denials

“…During a speech at the Vatican, Pope Francis declared "a denial of fatherhood and motherhood takes away our humanity" (Sherwood, 2022, para 4), a sentiment that reflects the pronatalist beliefs (those that "encourage parenthood and reproduction"; Fikslin, 2021, p. 308) underlying reproductive rights, particularly for childfree persons. Consistent with extant literature, childfree refers to those who do not want children regardless of their circumstances (i.e., medical, financial) or biological capability (Gillespie, 2003;Ngoubene-Atioky et al, 2017;Peterson, 2015). Although acknowledging managing pregnancy risk is not solely reserved for people who identify as women, childfree women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) often find physicians reluctant to perform sterilization, encounter significant procedural hoops, or are denied the procedure due to their age or perceived expectation they will regret their decision (Hintz & Brown, 2019;Matthews & Desjardins, 2017;McQueen, 2016;Shreffler et al, 2020).…”

Childfreedom and Responsibility: An Existential‐Feminist Framework for Counselors

“…Many continue to propound motherhood as indicative of normal development in women (Koba, 2016). Counselors are not immune to such biases, which, if left unattended and unchecked, may compromise empathy (Ngoubene-Atioky et al, 2017).…”

“…Intersections of identity mediate the social imperative of parenthood and attendant stigmatization. Counselors rate greater empathy for a younger intentionally childless woman of lower socioeconomic status than for an older woman of upper socioeconomic status (Ngoubene-Atioky et al, 2017). Social class routinely shapes experiences of stigmatization, and higher social class confers privileges in strategies of stigma management and resolution (Nandy, 2015;Riessman, 2000).…”

“…The counseling literature lacks translation of these findings in a contextualized model that normalizes the choice and its evolving nature. Important studies provide general counseling considerations and champion feminist tenets (Mollen, 2006) or point the reader to relational-feminist therapy (Ngoubene-Atioky et al, 2017). Recent counseling literature focuses upon intentional childlessness among couples and families (e.g., Matthews & Desjardins, 2017) and falls short on contemporary conceptualizations of childfree women.…”

Examining the Relationship of Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Empathy in Addiction Counselors

“…CE has also been observed outside the counseling profession when looking at nursing students (Everson et al, ) and attachment primes in undergraduate students (Mallinckrodt et al, ). Additionally, empathy has been studied in relation to cultural constructs in counseling, such as nonverbal expressions (Lorié et al, ), race or ethnicity (Ng & James, ), age and socioeconomic status (Ngoubene‐Atioky et al, ), and sexual orientation (Love et al, ).…”