The new documentary on Ruth Bader Ginsburg, RBG, is a must-see. As The Economist piece, “How Ruth Bader Ginsburg became a trailblazer for gender equality” summarizes, this film gives us a real feel for how “Ms. Ginsburg built America’s gender equality standards brick by brick,” and “the quieter parts of this remarkable justice’s life.” Continue reading “On RBG, and a Final Frontier for Equal Treatment”
Social-Cultural Issues
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””
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”
Q&A With Research Scholar, Amrita Nandy on her Book, Motherhood and Choice
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing New Delhi research scholar and activist, Amrita Nandy, about her new book, Motherhood and Choice: Uncommon Mothers, Childfree Women. Check it out: Continue reading “Q&A With Research Scholar, Amrita Nandy on her Book, Motherhood and Choice”
Holiday Season Advertisers: It’s Time to Target Women without Children
Every holiday season, advertisers spend billions of marketing dollars to get us to buy their products and services. At this time of year, advertisers lose revenue because they don’t market to a specific demographic: the 47 percent of American women of childbearing age who are not mothers. Continue reading “Holiday Season Advertisers: It’s Time to Target Women without Children”
Not Having Kids: From Moral Outrage toward Moral Duty
One particular phrase relating to a study that came out last spring continues to pop up online: moral outrage. The study, “Parenthood as a Moral Imperative? Moral Outrage and the Stigmatization of Voluntarily Childfree Women and Men” has a finding that not having children by choice “inspires moral outrage in others.” While the study’s author Leslie Ashburn-Nardo acknowledges “mean levels of moral outrage were small overall” and it can be argued that the media have overblown this finding, it’s worth asking why people can feel morally outraged by the childfree. Here are two big reasons why. Continue reading “Not Having Kids: From Moral Outrage toward Moral Duty”
Long-Term Marriages: Pondering Recent Study Results
A recent study in the Social Psychology Quarterly looks at long-term marriages and has some interesting results to ponder. A summary of findings include: Continue reading “Long-Term Marriages: Pondering Recent Study Results “
From Sacrifice to Privilege: Reframing the Role of Motherhood
The title of the recent opinion piece in the New York Times Sunday Review, “Motherhood Isn’t Sacrifice, It’s Selfishness” sure caught my eye. Was Karen Rinaldi going to get into pronatalism? Sort of… Continue reading “From Sacrifice to Privilege: Reframing the Role of Motherhood”
One of the Many Negative Effects of Pronatalism & One Woman’s Solution
Have you heard of the non-profit organization, Project Prevention? Led by founder Barbara Harris, Project Prevention helps addicts and alcoholics get on long term or permanent birth control. Why? So they don’t conceive children. Continue reading “One of the Many Negative Effects of Pronatalism & One Woman’s Solution”
Signs of Global Cracks in Pronatalism
While pronatalism remains a powerful social and cultural force around the world, we are seeing signs of global cracks in the armor. Take India and Africa. Continue reading “Signs of Global Cracks in Pronatalism”
