The Childfree Choice: Insights from a Sociologist

For this episode, Toshi spoke with sociologist Dr. Amy Blackstone about the childfree choice. Amy is a childfree woman who wrote the book, ‘Childfree by Choice: The Movement Redefining Family & Creating a New Age of Independence,’ which explores the history and growing movement of adults choosing to forgo parenthood. Amy has shared her research on the childfree choice in The Atlantic, Washington Post, Huffington Post, on the Katie show, and other venues. 

Amy’s teaching and research interests include the sociology of gender, work, food, families, and healthcare. She has served as a consultant on workplace sexual harassment cases, and her research on this topic has been cited in the New York Times, USA Today, BuzzFeed, TIME, NBC News, and other outlets. She is passionate about food and has taught the Sociology of Food at UMaine and in Italy. 

In this episode, we cover:  

• Dr Blackstone’s personal journey to being childfree 
• What the science says about ‘maternal instinct’ 
• How gender impacts the experience of being childfree 
• Some of the reasons people decide to be childfree 
• How childfree individuals contribute to future generations in ways beyond parenting 

Find Dr. Amy Blackstone at her website: https://www.amyblackstonephd.com/ 

Grab a copy of ‘Childfree by Choice’: https://www.amyblackstonephd.com/childfreebychoice 

Listen to her podcast, ‘Nevertheless, Persisting’: https://www.amyblackstonephd.com/neverthelesspersisting 

 

Timestamps:  

00:00 – Trailer 

00:34 – Intro  

00:58 – Did Dr Blackstone always know she wanted to be childfree? 

06:28 – Does science support the idea of ‘maternal instinct’?  

08:54 – What's the difference between being ‘childfree’ and ‘childless’? 

13:44 – How do men and women experience being childfree differently? 

17:13 – Why do people decide to be childfree? 

20:01 – How childfree people shape future generations 

26:28 – How have people’s attitudes towards being childfree changed over time? 

29:05 – Pros and cons of being childfree 

34:55 – Do childfree people regret their choices? 

40:35 – What should young people know about being childfree? 

44:33 – Dr Blackstone’s final message for listeners 

45:42 – Where to find Dr Blackstone and her work 

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