Childfree Status

The Childfree movement started in the 1970s as a social change that advocated voluntary infertility and the pursuit of freedom for children without children. These concepts were proposed and promoted by the National Organization for Non-Parents (NON), an international organization for non-parents groups, which was established in In 1972, it was later renamed the National Alliance for Optional Parenthood. The main purpose of its establishment was to promote the idea of "people can choose not to have children". Popularizing non-parenthood (choosing not to be a parent) to the public is also a proven method. The way of life and life choices that can exist, through organizing activities to support groups who choose not to have children, and through publicity to make people aware of the problems caused by excessive population pressure, think that it was only in the 1970s and 1980s when people were aware of the environmental crisis And respect for nature, and now the problem of population pressure is not the same.

The purpose of NON was also to respond to the stigmatization of childfree couples by "encouraging fertilityists". In the social environment of the United States at that time, cultural inclinations were very unfriendly and stressful to independent infertile couples/couples. Many people They cannot choose freely because they know that if they choose not to have children, they will be labeled as selfish, superficial, neurotic, and isolated from the mainstream of society. In order to eliminate prejudice, the members of the organization actively promote the benefits of promoting the existence of childfree. There is this passage:

All of the members, even the parents among them, are committed to childlessness as a way of creating 'social space.' That means 'a combination of time, money and energy' that can be used to conserve planetary resources, beat the high cost of living and free husbands and wives for political activism and the pursuit of free life-styles.

It is also NON that sets August 1st every year as World Childless Day. As a holiday, it promotes the acceptance and respect of independent infertile groups in modern society, and thanks for the existence of infertile groups, for the diversification of lifestyle and personal value. Freedom to pursue the possibilities offered.

With the development of time and the childfree movement, economic, medical and other aspects have greatly improved living standards, individuals, especially women, have awakened their consciousness, and more and more reasons for choosing not to have children have been classified and summarized. It is also becoming more rational and positive. From 2007 to 2011, the fertility rate in the United States fell by 9%. A 2010 report by Pew Research found that childless rates have risen across all races and ethnicities. Statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the first quarter of 2016 confirm that the U.S. fertility rate has fallen to its lowest point since records began in 1909: 59.8 births per 1,000 women, up from 122.9 in 1957 half of the highest level. The National Center for Health Statistics confirmed that the percentage of U.S. women of childbearing age who described themselves as childfree (or voluntary childless) rose sharply in the 1990s, from 2.4 percent in 1982 to 4.3 percent in 1990 to 6.6 percent in 1995.

Percentage of childless women in the United States in 2018, by age

In addition to the U.S., a 2015 study series on Family Society wrote about the trend of increasing childlessness in Europe. The study mainly outlines trends in childlessness among men and women, including those who are childless for various reasons, and also estimates voluntary infertile groups. The findings show an increase in childlessness for both men and women between the ages of 30-34 and 40-44 years across the European region over the past decade, with few exceptions. For women, the childless rate between the ages of 40-44 remains low (below or below 10%) in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Russia , in France, Belgium, Georgia, Germany, Norway, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States with a moderate proportion (11–15%), in Austria, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands and

In the UK it is 20% higher. For men, the highest rates of childlessness (among men aged 45-49, over 23%) were found in Finland, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. Childlessness is more common among men with low education and women with very high or very low education, according to the study. Entry into motherhood is delayed and childlessness rates are higher in countries with a high average age of marriage. More childlessness is found in countries with broad individualistic values.

The Chinese data is obviously absent, and there are very few social research results that are not mainstream enough to be searched, and because the definition of DINK families ignores individuals who do not want to have children. I personally feel that there is still a lot of room for development and research.

At the same time, it is difficult to find a perfect balance between the fertility-related policies and regulations of various countries and the real plight of women. The United States passed the 19-year anti-abortion bill with huge controversy, and the harsh and discriminatory restrictions swept the United States again; the bloody and violent Childless Hundred Days that China experienced in 1991, I am afraid not many people who have not experienced it remember that when lambs need to be slaughtered, there are no Don't choose, just look at the documentary "The Kingdom of One Child" and you will actually know the similarities behind these cruelties. Behind every power is an attempt to control the sovereignty of an ordinary woman over her own body, and the road to defending reproductive rights is still extremely long.

literature:

1. https://internationalchildfreeday.com/event-seed-intl-childfree-day/

2. Sandler, Lauren (August 12, 2013). "Having It All Without Having Children". TIME. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013.

3. Park, Madison (August 11, 2016). "US fertility rate falls to lowest on record". CNN. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016.

4. MANOHLA DARGIS (August 9, 2019). “One Child Nation’ Review: Controlling Minds and Bodies” on August 9, 2019.

5. Anneli Miettinen, Anna Rotkirch, Ivett Szalma, Annalisa Donno, and Maria-Letizia Tanturri (Mars 2015) “Increasing childlessness in Europe: time trends and country differences”