Unwomanly Conduct

Being Resolute in Being a Voluntarily Childless Woman Living in Ireland: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study

“…Yet, more positive aspects of voluntary childlessness are also highlighted in the literature and one benefit regularly cited is the freedom voluntarily childlessness affords (Houseknecht, 1977). These freedoms include increased opportunities for self-fulfillment, better finances, reduced domestic responsibilities, and spontaneity in terms of lifestyle (Abma & Martinez, 2006; Dykstra & Hagestad, 2007; Morell, 1994; Tanturri & Mencarini, 2008; Wood & Newton, 2006).…”

“We all have Regrets; it doesn’t Mean we are Failures”: Rejecting or Regretting Motherhood

“…In this paper, we examine the discourse of thirty women, trans, or non-binary people in Iceland, who are either childfree by choice (Blackstone, 2019 Gillespie, 2003; Gotlib, 2016; Morell, 1994) or who regret becoming mothers (Donath, 2017). We analyze the pronatal pressure that society and significant others exert on women to become mothers and the rhetoric that leads women to doubt their reproductive choices.…”

“…Becoming a mother produces the next generations, passes on family bloodlines and genes, and provides a familial care network (Stuifbergen & Van Delden, 2011). A woman’s biological makeup fuels the social imperative to reproduce, which plagues reproductive decision-making throughout a woman’s childbearing years (Bugden et al, 2021; Morell, 1994; Snitow, 1992). On one hand, women have no choice in the matter because it is their biological destiny, and heteronormativity and essentialist views presume that motherhood is desired as a rite of passage to womanhood (Maher & Saugeres, 2007).…”

« Si la vie avait voulu que j’en aie »

“…On lui reproche sa proximité avec carefree (insouciant), qui implique que ces femmes sont comme des enfants elles-mêmes, puisqu'elles n'ont pas de responsabilités 12 . Aux yeux de certaines auteures, le terme suggère que les femmes qui n'ont pas d'enfant souhaitent s'en débarrasser, en raison de sa similarité avec des expressions comme union-free ou smoke-free 13 . Maura Kelly, sociologue, résume bien le dilemme des chercheuses : « There is no term that suggests that both mothering and choosing not to mother are equally acceptable options » 1 4 .…”

“…La majorité des auteures optent pour childless, tout en mettant en avant leurs critiques face à ce terme. Selon Morell, il faudrait créer une nouvelle expression neutre, qui ne renforcerait pas l'idéologie de la supériorité des mères sur les non-mères, de la même manière qu'on utilise single et non marriedless ou marriage-free 15 .…”