Voluntary childlessness in a society reluctant to change

Abstract

Voluntary childlessness constitutes a social and generational rupture from tradition and culture, with significant effects on the reproduction of the so‐called life and family cycle. This study aims at understanding the reasons why people decide to remain childless and the social pressures that this decision generates. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted on the emerging decision of non‐motherhood and non‐fatherhood based on semi‐structured interviews with 56 people who autonomously made the decision to opt out of parenthood. This paper underscores the multiple biographical situations involved in the decision, in addition to the concerns about personal development and future. The current social crisis context serves as a means of justification to lessen social and family pressure. We conclude that people who have made this decision promote a different meaning from that of reproduction as a mechanism of the social order.