As Vicki Larson, author of The New “I Do”, was reading Avivah Wittenberg-Cox’s Late Love: Mating in Maturity, she noticed that when the author talks about her “gray divorce” – her divorce after 22 years of marriage, “one thing kept coming up” as a good time to start anew. Her children had left home or were about to, and “she talks as if that’s the scenario for all 50-somethings.” Continue reading “Vicki Larson & I Talk Childfree “Gray Divorce””
Author: Laura
Laura Carroll is a seasoned editor, writes nonfiction, and is a leading voice on the childfree choice.
The Childfree, Childless & Guilt
Reading “Let’s hear it for the single, childless women: We get tired too,” by Mika Sarmiento got me thinking, especially when she writes about a “specific kind of guilt that comes with talking about sleepless nights and long days with said great wives and mothers.” What’s behind this particular kind of guilt? Continue reading “The Childfree, Childless & Guilt”
The Closing of Toys “R” Us: Due to Decline in Birthrates?
With the announcement of the closing of Toys “R” Us, we’ve seen a few articles discussing one particular reason it went bankrupt and out of business: decline in birth rates. Let’s examine this claim. Continue reading “The Closing of Toys “R” Us: Due to Decline in Birthrates?”
On Childfree Sterilization: Shifting from Paternalism to Reproductive Autonomy
I sure like seeing more pieces out there these days on childfree sterilization in popular women’s publications. A recent piece in SELF on this topic deserves mention. After Deputy Editor Nina Bahadur relays a few women’s frustrating experiences and describes what male and female sterilization procedures involve, she gets into the ethical issues that need more talking about. Continue reading “On Childfree Sterilization: Shifting from Paternalism to Reproductive Autonomy”
Understanding the “Whole of Women’s Reproductive Lives”
Pew Research Center recently came out with an interesting report on the numbers of women having children. Based primarily on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s June Supplement of the Current Population Survey, Pew Research Center collected “completed fertility” data on “…women who are now 40 to 44 who have had a baby.” The data reflect “what [women] actually did, not what they were projected to do.” Here’s some of what it found: Continue reading “Understanding the “Whole of Women’s Reproductive Lives””
At the Heart of the Childfree Decision
With the rise in articles and posts about being childfree these days, I especially appreciate those that give good summaries of the childfree decision. Take the recent post, “Why Many Millennials Have Decided To Be Childfree (And That’s Okay)” by Liz Greene on peacefuldumpling.com. Continue reading “At the Heart of the Childfree Decision”
Childfree Love: Making Every Day Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day brings to mind one of the many bennies of being in a childfree relationship: because the childfree don’t have kids, they have more time to devote to their relationships. Continue reading “Childfree Love: Making Every Day Valentine’s Day”
Advice on the “To Baby or Not to Baby” Question
A recent “Ask Polly” on The Cut shocked me. A woman writes in with the question, “Should I have a baby?” and even though Polly assures readers the “column is not a parody,” I admit I read the response more than once to be sure her advice actually seemed serious. Continue reading “Advice on the “To Baby or Not to Baby” Question”
A Global Look at Not Having Children
At the beginning of January, some interesting ‘not having children’ numbers came out regarding women in their 40s. This Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) table gives a succinct summary: Continue reading “A Global Look at Not Having Children”
On the Myth of Maternal Instinct
In my 2017 childfree trending piece, I discuss how in recent years we’ve been seeing more talk about pronatalism. Some articles use the word directly, some not. An excellent feature article that appeared on money.good.is magazine last fall by Mike Mariani gives us a great example of the latter. Continue reading “On the Myth of Maternal Instinct”
