Childless Essay

There are many elements to keep in mind when examining childless couples. There exist many reasons why a couple remains childless and both voluntary and involuntary reasons must be taken into consideration. By looking at the following questions one can get an understanding of the role and status of childless couples in society: how does female empowerment influence childlessness? How have gay and lesbian rights contributed to the growth in childless couples? How does the growing commitment to careers and the pursuit of personal pleasures affect childlessness? What is the attitude of Canadian society towards childless couples? What factors are involved in voluntary childlessness?
Female empowerment influences childlessness
When women were given carte blanche to pursue what they please and add other responsibilities to their life (a career, etc.), they lessened the load by other means such as choosing to remain childless. The study, “Measuring care: Gender, Empowerment, and the Care Economy” shows countries across the globe (Italy, Spain, and North Korea) experienced fertility rates below replacement levels. Moreover, childless women (single women, widows, etc.) possessed more disposable income than women who have children. Trends toward the “feminization of poverty”and the “pauperization of motherhood” have been observed in developed nations like the United States that do little to protect low-income families against poverty (Folbre, 1994, 2005). As women have increased their hours of market work, their hours of non-market work (taking care of family and children)have declined significantly. For instance, a statistical analysis of the impact of welfare reforms implemented in the United States in 1996 showed a small but significant...

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...use of work). A similar article, “Why Childfree Couples Should be Praised” backed many of the same reasons. Many couples enjoy their freedom and an uninhibited lifestyle (children would again be a blockade to this). Also, many couples realized having children involves responsibility and they’re not at the stage in their life where they’re ready for it. There are many young couples today and they don’t feel they are at the right age to have a child but sometimes if a couple waits too long, having a child can become difficult due to fertility reasons. Many studies have shown that childless couples have longer lasting marriages. A lot of couples want one-on-one time together which they feel becomes scarce after children and also, having children restricts their intellectual and cultural pursuits (travelling often, dining at expensive restaurants, etc.)(Williams, 2013).