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?”
My Take
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””
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”
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”
Happy New Year!
Wishing You
a Wonderful 2018!
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 “
Musings on IVF as an Employee Perk
Have you heard that Starbucks is now offering IVF as an employee perk? A few other companies have started offering an IVF benefit, but Starbucks is going further. Continue reading “Musings on IVF as an Employee Perk”
