How to be childless : a history and philosophy of life without children / Rachel Chrastil.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chrastil, Rachel, author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Childlessness--Psychological aspects.

Childlessness.

Childlessness--Social aspects.

Infertility.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (249 pages)

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2019.

Summary:

'How to be Childless' uncovers the voices and experiences of childless women from the past 500 years and puts them in conversation with research from a broad range of disciplines, from psychology to philosophy to sociology. It addresses two main questions: What are the pathways to childlessness, and how do childless individuals flourish? Eschewing two dominant narratives - that the childless are either barren and alone or that they are carefree and selfish - it views childless individuals as complicated human beings with nuanced life stories. The pathways to childlessness, so often labeled simply "choice" and "circumstance," are far more complex and interweaving. This work examines issues including regret, old age, attitudes toward childlessness, the household, and legacy.

Contents:

Introduction: how to talk about childlessness

Delay

Whispers

Interlude: the baby boom

Shouts

Flourishing

Regret

Home and hearth

A better world

Old and alone

Legacy

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from home page (viewed on July 18, 2019).

Also issued in print: 2019.

ISBN:

0-19-091864-0

0-19-006676-8

0-19-091863-2