Media Frames of Voluntary Childlessness in the United States from 1989 to 2018

Abstract

Voluntary childlessness (VC) is a family communication issue which has garnered media attention for over 30 years. Guided by framing theory, in the present study we analyze media frames of voluntary childlessness in the United States between 1989 and 2018 to critically examine the formation of discourses governing childfree families over time. Guided by mixed method media frame analysis, 103 news articles were inductively thematized and then deductively coded to identify and quantify the dominant frames and the frame elements (i.e., story characters and generalizations to ongoing phenomena) that comprised them. Results first offer demographic information which provides necessary context to indicate from whom and where news coverage of VC is produced. Results further indicated five dominant frames of childfree families, seven character categories which elucidate who is (and is not) represented in news media coverage of VC, and three domains of generalizations which underscore the connection between VC and population changes, policy issues, and cultural and social shifts. Findings also offer empirical support for changes in frames and frame elements over time. The present findings offer a historical and culturally situated view of voluntary childlessness over the past three decades. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.