In this Huffington Post piece, “Who Will Care for Us – the Aging, Childless and Single Population?” aging advocate Carol Marak writes, “Since adult children are the lifeblood of elder care, and I don’t have a child, it’s a concern for me.” Her comment brought to mind the pronatalist assumption I discuss in The Baby Matrix: “My children will be there for me when I am old.” How true is it? Continue reading “Getting Beyond Pronatalist Thinking in Our Later Years”
Tag: family
From Books to Babies: What We’re Learning about Millennials
Interesting information is being gathered about the millennial generation. The latest has to do with their reading habits. Check it out. Continue reading “From Books to Babies: What We’re Learning about Millennials”
Anne Lamott
Writer Anne Lamott On Mother’s Day
With Mother’s Day around the corner, this insightful piece from 2012 by writer Anne Lamott is sure worth the read. She explains why Mother’s Day “celebrates a huge lie about the value of women”: Continue reading “Writer Anne Lamott On Mother’s Day”
New Book Looks at Modern Day Parenthood
In 2010, New York Magazine writer Jennifer Senior’s feature article, “All Joy and No Fun: Why Parents Hate Parenting” created quite the buzz. Now hot off the press is her book, All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood. In her recent interview with NPR’s Terri Gross, she talks about how our society came to idolize its children.
Ruminations on the Book, Baby Bust
According to the recently released book, Baby Bust: New Choices for Men and Women in Work and Family by Stewart Friedman, it summarizes a cross-generational study of college students that produced a “stark discovery: the rate of graduates who plan to have children has dropped by nearly half over the past 20 years.”
Are Families of Two a Family? Where Americans Stand
Sociology researcher Brian Powell has done some very interesting research about how today’s Americans define family. Results in the book Counted Out examine how men and women of different ages, races, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds view what constitutes a “family” and what doesn’t.
It looks at married and unmarried couples, heterosexual and same-sex couples, and couples with kids and without. On the kid/no kid front, of course my opinion is inherent in the title of my book, Families of Two! And the childfree agree. But what does the general population think? Continue reading “Are Families of Two a Family? Where Americans Stand”
David Brooks and Outmoded Thinking About Singles and the Childfree
First, let me say I am a fan of David Brooks’ political commentary. But I can’t always say this about his thinking on sociological issues. Take his recent op-ed, “The Age of Possibility” in The New York Times. You’ll see that he needs to expand his thinking about people who don’t have kids …and singles as well. Continue reading “David Brooks and Outmoded Thinking About Singles and the Childfree”
Stubborn Stigmas Preventing Full Reproductive Freedom
As Election Day approaches, Roe v Wade remains the law of the land, but with a Republican victory and an aging Supreme Court… Continue reading “Stubborn Stigmas Preventing Full Reproductive Freedom”
Happy World Contraception Day
Today is World Contraception Day (WCD). It’s been organized by the European Society of Contraception since September 2007. According to WomanCare Global, it is a global campaign that recognizes the importance of access to contraception for women around the world” and has a “mission to… Continue reading “Happy World Contraception Day”
Canadians: Taking a Closer Look at New Childless Census Data
Canada released some additional 2011 Census numbers this week. They include statistics on a variety of demographics, including rises in same-sex marriages and common-law relationships. When it comes to numbers relating to the “childless” a little dissection is needed, as well as reaction to some media commentary. Check it out. Continue reading “Canadians: Taking a Closer Look at New Childless Census Data”
