Voluntary Childlessness: A Review of the Factors Underlying the Decision Not to Have Children

Abstract

Although having children is seen as one of the most important functions of adult romantic relationships (e.g., marriage) and it is a common norm followed by married couples, birth rates both around the world and in Turkey have steadily declined over the past years. Some childless individuals have decided to remain childfree of their own volition and not due to external factors that lie outside of their control, such as infertility. This voluntary childlessness, which is becoming more and more prevalent around the world, not only has very important psychological consequences for individuals but will also have a significant sociological and demographic impact on societies. Building on the increasing importance of voluntary childlessness for both the individual and society, the present review systematically examines the studies that have investigated the reasons and consequences of the decision to remain childfree and introduce the issues to the Turkish literature. The first part of the review focuses on the individual and societal factors that can predict voluntary childlessness and examines the motivations that inform the decision mechanism. Second, studies investigating the negative stereotypes and societal pressures faced by people who decide to remain childfree and the coping strategies they adopt are reviewed. The results of the studies reviewed indicate that although individuals who consciously decide to remain childless demonstrate a degree of similarity in certain demographic characteristics, their reasons for their decision and the way they live with their choice show significant variation. In addition, although individuals who are voluntarily childless face serious stigma and societal pressure, they do not report any differences in life satisfaction and mental health to individuals who become parents. Also, contrary to common belief, childfree individuals do not regret their decision. At the end of the review, avenues for future research into voluntary childlessness are discussed, and methodological issues that need attention are underlined.

Keywords

• Voluntary childlessness
• reasons for remaining childfree
• consequences of voluntary childlessness
• negative stereotypes faced by the childfree
• reproductive freedom

Gönüllü Çocuksuzluk: Çocuk Sahibi Olmama Kararının Altında Yatan Faktörler ve Karşılaşılan Tepkiler Hakkında Bir Derleme

Abstract

Çocuk sahibi olmak her ne kadar uzun süreli romantik ilişkilerin (örn., evlilik) en önemli işlevlerinden biri olarak görülse ve evli çiftler arasında yaygın bir norm olsa da, son yıllarda hem dünyada hem de Türkiye’de doğum oranları giderek azalmaktadır. Çocuğu olmayan bazı kişiler, kısırlık gibi kontrolleri dışındaki durumsal nedenlerden değil, kendi iradeleri ile çocuksuz kalmaya karar vermektedir. Dünyada yaygınlığı giderek artan bu gönüllü çocuksuzluk kararı, bireyler için pek çok önemli psikolojik sonuç doğurmanın yanı sıra, toplumlar için de çok sayıda sosyolojik ve demografik etkiyi bünyesinde barındırmaktadır. Gönüllü çocuksuzluğun hem birey hem de toplum için giderek artan öneminden yola çıkılarak, bu derlemeyle bilinçli olarak çocuk sahibi olmama kararının sebeplerini ve sonuçlarını inceleyen çalışmaların sistematik bir biçimde taranarak Türkçe alan yazına kazandırılması amaçlanmıştır. Öncelikle, gönüllü çocuksuzluğu yordayan bireysel ve toplumsal faktörler ile bireylerin bu kararı almalarında rol oynayan etmenler ve karar süreçleri incelenmiş; daha sonra çocuksuz kalmaya karar veren bireylerin karşılaştıkları olumsuz kalıpyargıları ve bunlarla baş etme stratejilerini inceleyen çalışmalar taranmıştır. Derlenen çalışmaların sonuçları, her ne kadar bilinçli olarak çocuk sahibi olmamaya karar veren kişiler demografik olarak birbirlerine belli ölçüde benzese de, bu bireylerin bu kararı alma gerekçelerinin, mekanizmalarının ve kararları ile yaşama süreçlerinin hayli çeşitli olduğunu göstermektedir. Bunların yanı sıra gönüllü çocuksuzların, pek çok olumsuz kalıpyargıyla ve sosyal baskıyla karşılaşsalar da, yaşam doyumu ve psikolojik sağlık bakımından ebeveyn olan bireylere göre bir farklılık bildirmedikleri görülmektedir. Ayrıca yaygın kanının aksine, çocuksuz bireyler kararlarından pişman olmamaktadır. Son olarak, alan yazında gönüllü çocuksuzluk olgusunu inceleyecek ileriki çalışmaların yoğunlaşabileceği alanlar tartışılmış ve dikkate alınması gereken yöntemsel hususların altı çizilmiştir

Keywords

• Gönüllü çocuksuzluk
• çocuksuz kalma kararının sebepleri
• gönüllü çocuksuzluğun sonuçları
• çocuksuzluğa karşı olumsuz kalıpyargılar
• üreme özgürlüğü

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