Childfree

(noun)

Childfree (sometimes spelled child-free), also known as voluntary childlessness, is a form of childlessness. Voluntary childlessness in women is defined as women of childbearing age who are fertile and do not intend to have children, women who have chosen sterilization, or women past childbearing age who were fertile but chose not to have children.

Related Terms

Examples of Childfree in the following topics:

  • Childless Couples

    • In most societies and for most of human history, choosing to be childfree was both difficult and undesirable.
    • Some opponents of the childfree choice consider such a choice to be "selfish."
    • Childfree individuals do not necessarily share a unified political or economic philosophy, and most prominent childfree organizations tend to be social in nature.
    • Numerous books have been written about childfree people and a range of social positions related to childfree interests have developed along with political and social activism in support of these interests.
    • It was revived in the 1990s when Leslie Lafayette formed a later childfree group, the Childfree Network.

  • The Decline of the Traditional Family

    • In most societies and for most of human history, choosing to be childfree was both difficult and undesirable.
    • To accomplish the goal of remaining childfree, some individuals undergo medical sterilization or relinquish their children for adoption.

  • New Developments in Families