Voluntary childlessness in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Motherhood for women has historically and traditionally been seen to be natural and the desire for it inevitable, and constructions of feminine identity to be synonymous with motherhood and mothering. In recent decades, however, a trend has emerged amongst Western women to remain childless. Although this can be seen in the broader context of declining birth rates and later childbearing, questions emerge as to what extent women are rejecting motherhood and choosing to remain childless. This paper draws on a qualitative study that seeks to contribute to explaining this trend. Drawing on the accounts of a group of childless women, the study sets out that the choice to remain childless for some women may be an ongoing, continuous process, arising as a result of other choices and wider factors in women's lives. For some, voluntary childlessness is linked to the perceived attractions and advantages of a childless lifestyle. For others, the choice to remain childless maybe linked to a more radical rejection of motherhood and the activities associated with mothering, which has implications for understandings of femininity and identity, and and for society more broadly.