What do “childfree” really seek and why do many people not want to have children?

Almost everyone has heard about the movement childfree (no children by choice). To him belong people who consciously renounce having children. But for a person who makes that decision, part of society still treats her as a suspect. Many of them protect their criteria very aggressively, which makes their image even more demonized, creating myths that are out of place.

O awesome.club decided to refute the most common misconceptions about movement members childfree🇧🇷

Not really. The majority of childfree treats children neutrally and some even with sympathy. Many of them work as teachers, child psychologists, write books for children… Of course, there are also radical members within this movement, but as a rule they are not opposed to children themselves, but are against parents who allow too much of their children, ignoring the society’s interests.

The childfree community is not a cult, it doesn’t go around looking to recruit new members. It is set up as a kind of club, a gathering of like-minded people, in which they talk about things like pet care, cosmetics, nature, travel and the like. Members of this “childless” movement are not going to make a general call to promote abortion or organize rallies against rising birth rates.

Of course, as with any movement, we find a percentage of fanatical activists, but their numbers seem insignificant. Many of the childfree don’t even reveal their philosophy to friends and family, they simply live the way they think is right.

The reproductive function of the body is not the main thing that determines the life of a modern person. You childfree believe that having children or not responds to a personal decision of each. The reasons can be completely different.

It could be someone who wants to live just for himself and is convinced that raising a child will limit his freedom. Another may not want children because it is expensive, and purchasing a new gadget or a trip to another continent seems like a better investment. Some are not sure they can be good parents, and they want to fulfill themselves in other spheres of life. The rules of behavior, which are different from those generally accepted, are not a psychic deviation.

Many childfree are popular with the opposite sex, have relationships, are married. Furthermore, in this type of family, both spouses do not plan to have children and feel very happy.

The answer to the question “what is the meaning of life?” it has not yet been given by any philosophical current, and if a person believes that his mission is not to give birth and raise his own children, but, for example, to help others, his life cannot be considered “meaningless”. Everyone has the right to choose what they like best: some can see the meaning of their existence in having a family, others are fulfilled in work or in improving the world and so on.

Earth’s population is home to more than 7.5 billion people. Yes, each year the percentage of childfree also increases, but it is still an insignificant fact to represent a threat to the extinction of the human being on the planet. Almost 90% of the world’s inhabitants end up being parents.

The woman is still under the yoke of stereotypes and the question of whether she wants to have children is not discussed: she is forced to want to have at least one. If a man can still choose a professional career, science or politics, a childless woman will not be perceived as successful and complete in the eyes of society. But giving birth is not an obligation imposed by nature, only a possibility. Accepting it or not is an individual matter.

You childfree contribute as much as the rest of the citizens of a state. But, at the same time, they do not enjoy the social support programs offered to families with children, so that the amount of taxes paid by those who decide not to have children will be higher and, in addition, they are entitled to a pension when they reach the age of retire. On the other hand, most of childfree are excited about their careers, so the opportunity to save enough resources for a happy old age is much greater for them than for people who have chosen to have children.

Yes, the “childless by choice” movement is quite young, it emerged in the 20th century. But we cannot assume that until that moment all people welcomed the idea of ​​having children with joy and enthusiasm. As a rule, most men and women had no other choice: religious dogmas, lack of contraceptives, patriarchal way of life… a world where individual desire was of no importance.

However, cases of infanticide immediately after childbirth, folk remedies for abortion, a large number of nannies and nurses who barely allowed the mother to come into contact with their children cast doubt on the fact that women of bygone eras, having the possibility to choose to give birth or not, they would have refused to take advantage of it.

A person is prone to change under the influence of external factors, reconsidering his beliefs from the point of view of a new experience. Of course, there are a percentage of principled people who make decisions once and for all. But nevertheless, a person throughout his life can change his interests, political opinions, religious beliefs, and therefore he cannot deny the possibility of reconsidering his ideas about the decision not to have children.

And what do you think: is everyone obligated to have children or should this be a purely personal choice? Leave your comments below.