Writer Tiffany Dyba said "you wouldn't believe the amount of men and women who have point blank" asked her this question, which she called "invasive [and] personal," and one that "makes it seem like I should feel bad about my decision." "You don't know the reason why someone has decided to be child-free, and it may not even be their choice, so it is best to not ask and wait for someone to volunteer that info if they feel comfortable doing so," Dyba, who is working on a novel about child-free women grappling with their place in a patriarchal society, told HuffPost.
A 2022 survey of Michigan adults found that more than 20% were child-free, meaning they did not want kids, while 5% were childless, meaning they wanted kids but were unable to have them. About 10% said they were undecided, roughly the same number said they want kids in the future, and just over 3% said they were ambivalent. (Although many people self-identify as 'child-free' or 'childless,' others dislike using these terms because of the suggestion that having children is 'the default, when it shouldn't be,' as columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett wrote for The Guardian last year.)
Those without kids are often unfairly thought of as selfish, unfulfilled or unusual. The stigma about not being a parent persists in our culture - particularly for women. This stigma impacts the perception on an individual level, affecting their social interactions and mental health.
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