The Voluntarily Childless and their Perceptions of Parenthood and Childlessness

Abstract

Recently attention has been given to the strategies adopted by the voluntarily childless to defend their non-conformity. In late 1980, voluntarily childless males and females responded to a questionnaire that obtained information on the stereotype they held of themselves and parents, and their perceptions of the positive and negative comments made by parents about their childlessness. In contrast to negative impressions held by the general community about intentional childlessness, the voluntarily childless presented themselves as, ‘intelligent’, ‘practical’, ‘individualistic’, self-fulfilled’ and ‘well-adjusted’, while parents were described as ‘conventional’ and ‘restricted’. Negative comments received from parents, however, portrayed the childless as selfiish, unusual and persons to be pitied.