Women without Children: A Contradiction in Terms?

Whilst the ideological construction of families has undergone significant change from pre-modernity to modernity, children remain an essential feature. This paper considers the relationship between families, feminist theory and voluntarily childless women. It is primarily concerned to explore women’s experiences as non-sexually reproductive within a cultural context that continues to emphasise femininity based on sexual reproduction, and families defined by the presence of children. In recent decades, remaining childless has emerged as a trend amongst Western women, understood within the broader context of changes in women’s political, economic and social status. The paper aims to argue that whilst second-wave feminism has championed these changes in women’s status, it nevertheless sustains a cultural definition of woman’ based on sexual reproduction. As such, feminist theory continues to regard childless women as dysfunctional. The paper concludes by exploring the effectiveness of recent challenges from postmodern feminism to subvert women’s association with sexual reproduction, and extend the notion of families to include individuals without children.