Welcome to Litsy!

While this book is interesting for what it is, the title and subtitle are deeply misleading. It‘s really about how families are structured across history and cultures and the pressure on all women, mothers or not, regarding choices around children. In fact, the childfree women in focuses more on are unfortunate stereotypes. So, maybe I shouldn‘t give this a pick?

This book didn't focus on stories about women who were happy to be childfree by choice (like me) but it did contain a lot of stories about women all along the spectrum of not having children. Some by choice, some by chance, some happy about their situation, some unhappy. I was shocked by some of the anecdotes in here, even entertained by some of them. Overall, it was a very informative read with a good mix of situations represented 🎧🧩

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was expecting an exploration, primarily, of women without children, but they are just a small portion of this. "Without Children" is a somewhat sweeping account of historical American & European expectations of women, of the definition of family, of fertility trends & evolutions in fertility science, the unfortunate divide between women with children and women without, and the difficulties that come with parenting in today's world.

The first 45 pages had me angry at the world that women have had to exist in since the beginning of time, and the next 45 pages have had me angry at the world people are expected to raise children in, primarily in western society. It is all impossible. And men in power have been absolute fools.

Heffington writes an easily accessible look at tbt history of women who, for a variety of reasons, do not have children. She looks at society‘s view of women who follow this path and really dives into the reasons - whether it‘s reproductive rights or political or even climate related.

As a woman who does not have children, I found myself nodding along to the perceptions from society. This was so good, and it made me feel like I am not alone…

This history of “not being a mother” provides not only powerful historical context behind the decision not to have children—whether that‘s because of career goals, lack of financial or familial support, environmental concern, infertility…or just because you want a life without them—as well as a crucial reminder that non-mothers are not a modern invention (and we‘re not alone), with added encouragement to make kin, even if you‘re not making babies.