Does not having kids make me less of a woman?
Presented at the 2010 meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society. Based on interviews with 29 childfree adults (19 women, 10 men), in this paper I examine how the childfree simultaneously resist and...
View ArticleChildfree Status as Gender Transgression?
A poster presented at the 2010 meeting of the National Council on Family Relations. Cultural norms centered on heteronormative binaries of gender (male/female), sexuality (heterosexual/homosexual), and...
View ArticleI get to be her playmate
Presented at the 2012 meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society. Based on interviews with 31 childfree adults (21 women, 10 men), in this paper I examine childfree people’s relationships with...
View ArticleIt’s a conscious decision
Presented at the 2012 meeting of the American Sociological Association. To date, much of the research on adults without children has either focused exclusively on women or has utilized a childless as...
View ArticleResearch on the Decision Not to Parent
“Choosing to be Childfree: Research on the Decision Not to Parent,” in Sociology Compass. A review of literature featuring studies of the voluntarily childless. Identifies three main trends in studies...
View Article6 Things We Know About the Childfree: Summarizing the Research
Last week I posted a call for more sociology of the childfree. Then it occurred to me: why not share what we already know from the good research that has been conducted? Decisions about whether to have...
View ArticleTwo Things I’d Add to My Chat with Katie Couric
UPDATE: The show’s date has not been set yet but we’ve been told mid-September. We’ll update this page and broadcast on Twitter (@nothavingababy) and Facebook...
View ArticleChildfree Expert on the Katie Couric Show
My wife Amy… Ahem. Starting over. Dr. Amy Blackstone Ph.D. of the University of Maine, chair of the sociology department, and all around sociologist extraordinaire appeared on the Katie Couric show to...
View ArticleChildfree Mythbusting – from bangordailynews.com
Recently Amy was invited to contribute to our local paper, The Bangor Daily News, on the topic of the childfree. She decided to bust a few myths, using research to refute some of the common...
View Article4 Ways the Childfree Create Family: Findings from the Social Science Research
Families that don’t include children are largely overlooked by family scholars and in popular discourse. In an effort to rectify this oversight, I recently published an article in the peer-reviewed...
View Article“Baby? Maybe?” CBS WABI TV5 Special Report on Childfree
Recently WABI TV5 News anchor Caitlin Burchill interviewed Amy and I for a two part series on the childfree…links and short descriptions follow. Personally I really enjoyed this interview and the...
View Article4 Ways the Childfree Create Family: Part Deux
A couple of weeks ago I posted the first installment of 4 Ways the Childfree Create Family, describing how the childfree fulfill two of four common functions of families. This week, I’ll address the...
View ArticleThe Childfree Choice on Reproductive Left Podcast
I recently talked about the childfree choice on Reproductive Left, an awesome podcast produced by Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center right here in River City (Bangor, Maine, that is). It was a...
View Article“There’s more thinking to decide”: Research on the Childfree Decision
A few months ago, the research finding that many couples who don’t want kids reach the decision “after just one conversation” caught the attention of reporters. Many expressed shock and dismay, calling...
View ArticleIs there a Childfree Movement?
Not too long ago I came across a wiki entry on the “childfree movement.” The entry claims the “childfree movement is a grassroots social movement advocating childlessness by choice.” It’s easy to...
View ArticleCompletely Childfree
Cross-posted from Feminist Reflections with permission. “I don’t know why women need to have children to be seen as complete human beings.” —Marisa Tomei In sixteen short words, Marisa Tomei sums up...
View ArticleChildfree is Family Friendly
Cross-posted from families as they really are with permission. “We got a puppy, and that’s my idea of starting a family. People say, ‘Oh, that’s practice for parenting,’ but if it’s practice for...
View ArticleNotMom Summit Opener: Who are the NotMoms?
Last weekend, the first ever NotMom Summit brought together women from around the world who don’t have kids, whether by choice, chance, or circumstance. It was an incredible experience! I was delighted...
View Article22 Years of Wedded {Childfree} Bliss
Twenty-two years ago today, on a balmy 0 degree day in Minnesota, Lance and I opted in to enjoying the legal right to file joint tax returns forever and ever – or until one of us dies or until we can...
View ArticleWork-Life Balance, Part I: When “Life” Doesn’t Mean “Children”
NOTE: This is the first of a 3-part installment on work-life balance. Part 2 can be found here; Part 3 can be found here. Work-life balance is a concept that can vary for different people but, at its...
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