Going Childfree

We've heard from happily child-free people on this blog in No Kids For Me. We've gotten stories about people going to extreme measures to have children in Ladies, Freeze Your Eggs. I've tackled my own mixed feelings about having kids in Can Freedom and Kids Co-Exist?.

Now there's a large-scale study exploring the subject: Dr. Tanya Koropeckyj-Cox, a University of Florida sociologist, and colleague Gretchen Pendell anaylzed two surveys of 11,043 adults 25 and older to assess attitudes about childlessness in America by asking such questions as whether "it is better to have a child than to remain childless" and whether "the main purpose of marriage these days is to have children."

The results, announced last week by a University of Florida press release, are published in the November issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family. Acceptance of childlessness by both men and women has clearly been gaining ground in our society since the 1970s. Americans are waiting longer to become parents, with the average age of first-time mothers now over 25, with more than a quarter of adults remaining childless into their 30s. Interestingly, despite the passion that most mothers have towards their children, the study shows that women view childlessness much more favorably than men do. The survey author hypothesizes that this view is likely because parenting places greater demands on mothers, especially those juggling work and family responsibilities.

"The costs that women experience related to childbearing are greater the higher their level of education in terms of potentially lost income, promotions and opportunities for career advancement," Koropeckyj-Cox said. "For men, however, fatherhood generally brings enhanced status and emotional benefits, with few if any costs in the labor market."

The study found that white women were most accepting of childlessness, followed by black women. Men, regardless of race, were least accepting. Among whites, women were twice as likely as men to look favorably upon not having children. Positive attitudes toward childlessness also were greater among young and middle-aged adults. Within this age group, women were nearly 80 percent more likely than men to view a child-free lifestyles positively, the study found.

So what are your views on not having children? What if your husband or religion or parents pressure you to have kids -- and you don't want them? What are the pros and cons of this trend towards greater acceptance of parenthood as a choice?

By Leslie Morgan Steiner |  October 29, 2007; 7:00 AM ET  | Category:  Moms in the News
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