‘Unnatural’, ‘Unwomanly’, ‘Uncreditable’ and ‘Undervalued’: The Significance of Being a Childless Woman in Australian Society

Rich, Stephanie; Taket, Ann; Graham, Melissa; Shelley, Julia

doi:10.1007/s12147-011-9108-1

Cited by 59 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Many women were expected to justify being childless, supporting earlier findings that being childless was a discrediting attribute that women were required to justify or conceal in order to maintain credibility (Bell, 2013;Rich et al, 2011). In addition, confirming and expanding upon research finding childless women felt workplaces prioritised childed people's needs for annual and carers leave, flexible work and work-life balance, and that others doubted their professional credibility (Doyle et al, 2013;Rich et al, 2011), many women experienced subordination of their needs to those of childed people, assumptions they lacked qualities only childed women could possess, and discrediting of their views and expertise, in all domains of life. At the other end of the continuum, some childless women experienced exclusion from resources and participation in domains of life dominated by, prioritising or catering exclusively to childed people.…”

Section: The Nature and Extent Of Social Exclusion Of Childless Womensupporting

confidence: 70%

“…However, many women experienced exclusion within the domains of life. For example, reflecting previous research that voluntarily childless women experienced pressure from family and friends to become childed (Rich et al, 2011), all types of childless women experienced such pressure in all domains of life. Many women were expected to justify being childless, supporting earlier findings that being childless was a discrediting attribute that women were required to justify or conceal in order to maintain credibility (Bell, 2013;Rich et al, 2011).…”

Section: The Nature and Extent Of Social Exclusion Of Childless Womenmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…For example, reflecting previous research that voluntarily childless women experienced pressure from family and friends to become childed (Rich et al, 2011), all types of childless women experienced such pressure in all domains of life. Many women were expected to justify being childless, supporting earlier findings that being childless was a discrediting attribute that women were required to justify or conceal in order to maintain credibility (Bell, 2013;Rich et al, 2011). In addition, confirming and expanding upon research finding childless women felt workplaces prioritised childed people's needs for annual and carers leave, flexible work and work-life balance, and that others doubted their professional credibility (Doyle et al, 2013;Rich et al, 2011), many women experienced subordination of their needs to those of childed people, assumptions they lacked qualities only childed women could possess, and discrediting of their views and expertise, in all domains of life.…”

Section: The Nature and Extent Of Social Exclusion Of Childless Womenmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Canadian and United States studies found most adults believed motherhood was innate and natural (Miall, 1994), and more adults had negative or neutral than positive attitudes towards being childless (Koropeckyj-Cox & Pendell, 2007). Research from Australia, the United Kingdom and United States found women experienced being childless as discrediting, and believed others perceived childless women as unnatural, deficient, unfulfilled and incomplete (Letherby, 1999;Rich, Taket, Graham, & Shelley, 2011;Sternke & Abrahamson, 2015). Some involuntarily childless women internalised pronatalism, perceiving themselves as failures and incomplete (Bell, 2013;Sternke & Abrahamson, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some involuntarily childless women internalised pronatalism, perceiving themselves as failures and incomplete (Bell, 2013;Sternke & Abrahamson, 2015). There is, however, limited research investigating the exclusion of childless women in their reproductive years from the social domain, which encompasses social networks, support and interaction, and social and leisure participation (see for example, Albertini & Mencarini, 2014;Bell, 2013;Debest & Mazuy, 2014;Doyle, Pooley, & Breen, 2013;McNamee & James, 2012;Sternke & Abrahamson, 2015), the service domain, which incorporates availability, accessibility, affordability, appropriateness and adequacy of services (see for example Baker, 2003;Hammarberg, Astbury, & Baker, 2001;Mollen, 2006;Onat & Beji, 2012;Parry, 2004) and the economic domain, including participation in employment, the nature and quality of working lives, and material and financial resources (see for example Doyle et al, 2013;Fieder, Huber, & Bookstein, 2011;Huber, Bookstein, & Fieder, 2010;Malik & Coulson, 2013;Rich et al, 2011). There is no existing research in the civic domain, which includes participation in community and political activities, groups and organisations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social Exclusion of Australian Childless Women in Their Reproductive Years

Turnbull

Graham

Taket

2016

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Research suggests Australian childless women are at risk of pronatalism-driven social exclusion. This exploratory, mixed methods, cross-sectional study described and explored the social exclusion of Australian childless women aged 25 to 44 years, and asked: what are the nature and extent of social exclusion of childless women; and do the nature and extent of exclusion vary for different types of childless women? A total of 776 childless female Australian residents aged 25 to 44 years completed a self-administered questionnaire. Quantitative data were collected on childlessness types, indicators of exclusion and perceived stigmatisation and exclusion due to being childless. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, One Way ANOVAs and Kruskal Wallis Analysis of Ranks. Qualitative data on childless women's experiences were inductively thematically analysed. Findings suggest societal-level pronatalism drives exclusion of Australian childless women. While exclusion occurs in all domains of life, childless women experience more exclusion, and perceive more exclusion due to being childless, in the social and civic domains than the service and economic domains. Circumstantially and involuntarily childless women, followed by voluntarily childless women, perceive more exclusion due to being childless than undecided and future childed women. Experiences are influenced by the nature of women's 'deviance' from pronatalism.

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