Chicago Tribune article on the decision to remain childfree
I was interviewed for this feature on the decision to go childfree. Here's an excerpt:
When Tina Roggenkamp and her husband, Mark, decided to keep their marriage free of children they took a lot of things into account.
They considered their desire for greater freedom, something that enabled her to get a graduate degree and start a small consulting business. There was also their enjoyment of what she called "smaller things," such as being able to sleep late when they wanted and to dine out whenever the mood struck them.
There were larger issues too, such as environmental concerns and worries about an overcrowded planet.
"We worry about global warming," said the 25-year-old who lives in Charlotte. "We worry about what the world will be like in the future. There's so much uncertainty, and I can't see bringing a life into such a world."
Growing numbers of American couples are electing to have child-free relationships.
Current Census Bureau figures show that about 18 percent of women age 40 to 44 do not have a child. The percentage has risen since 1976, when the bureau found that 10 percent of American woman in that age group reported not having a child.
Many groups have formed that seek to connect these couples across the country. No Kidding! and The Childfree Ring are among the most active. Some offer bumper stickers. One reads "If I want to hear the pitter-patter of little feet, I'll put shoes on my cat."
Some childless couples report that not everyone is comfortable with this trend.
Jennifer Shawne, 32, author of "Baby Not On Board: A Celebration of Life without Kids," said she has been accused of being un-American for making the choice not to opt for motherhood.
"There is this assumption that all women have a biological clock that one day is going to start ringing, and we're going to become baby maniacs who have to give birth no matter what," Shawne added. "But that's just not true."
[LINK signin: jennifer@babynotonboard / childfree]
When Tina Roggenkamp and her husband, Mark, decided to keep their marriage free of children they took a lot of things into account.
They considered their desire for greater freedom, something that enabled her to get a graduate degree and start a small consulting business. There was also their enjoyment of what she called "smaller things," such as being able to sleep late when they wanted and to dine out whenever the mood struck them.
There were larger issues too, such as environmental concerns and worries about an overcrowded planet.
"We worry about global warming," said the 25-year-old who lives in Charlotte. "We worry about what the world will be like in the future. There's so much uncertainty, and I can't see bringing a life into such a world."
Growing numbers of American couples are electing to have child-free relationships.
Current Census Bureau figures show that about 18 percent of women age 40 to 44 do not have a child. The percentage has risen since 1976, when the bureau found that 10 percent of American woman in that age group reported not having a child.
Many groups have formed that seek to connect these couples across the country. No Kidding! and The Childfree Ring are among the most active. Some offer bumper stickers. One reads "If I want to hear the pitter-patter of little feet, I'll put shoes on my cat."
Some childless couples report that not everyone is comfortable with this trend.
Jennifer Shawne, 32, author of "Baby Not On Board: A Celebration of Life without Kids," said she has been accused of being un-American for making the choice not to opt for motherhood.
"There is this assumption that all women have a biological clock that one day is going to start ringing, and we're going to become baby maniacs who have to give birth no matter what," Shawne added. "But that's just not true."
[LINK signin: jennifer@babynotonboard / childfree]
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