1.

2 The No-Baby Boom

Wednesday, September 2, 2 015

Childless women are non-existent in media, cinema, art, and magazines

Two types of childless woman:
By circumstance
By choice
How society views childless women:
Selfish ( by choice)
Lives lack meaning or value (by choice and circumstance)
1 in 5 women reaching their mid-40s are childless
Twice as many as the previous generation
47.1% of women of child-bearing age don't have children
Up from 35% in 1976
Social infertility ( reason for 50% of childless women):
Never in right relationship
Being in relationship where partner didn't want children
Never wanting children
PANK: professional aunt, no kids
New market
Average of $387/year/child
Rejection of "career woman" label to describe childless women
Implies work chosen over love, marriage, children
Media depicts IVF improperly
Not always feasible
Only hear miracle stories even though it usually doesn't work over age 40
Motherhood as only normal, natural way to be a woman
Women outside this norm as suspect
Seen as destabilizing influence
If one does well in her career ( and doesn't have children) she can do as
well as a man
Childless women lose a future family and their peer group who have all gone on to
motherhood, which is unfamiliar to them (don't speak the language)
Fetishization of motherhood
Motherhood as a solid identity, childlessness not ( what are you?)
Today's surplus women are young professional women for whom there aren't
enough suitable male partners
Transitioning from old social model where women are expected to "marry up"
Now women may have to "marry down"

 Fetishization of motherhood
Motherhood as a solid identity, childlessness not ( what are you?)
Today's surplus women are young professional women for whom there aren't
enough suitable male partners
Transitioning from old social model where women are expected to "marry up"
Now women may have to "marry down"
Childless women feel pressure to have a big compensatory life
Role models Jennifer Aniston and Gloria Steinem