From the Back Cover
One in six women in America today will never have a child. Some women deliberately choose not to have children. Others postpone motherhood, often in favor of a career, and then find themselves unable or unwilling to become mothers. Still others yearn for children and are unable to conceive or adopt. Because our society perceives the bearing and nurturing of children as central roles for women, having no children can significantly impact a woman's view of herself and her place in the world. The social bias in favor of motherhood is so strong that childless women often feel isolated and fear to discuss their lives with friends who do have children. These friends, in turn, may fall into the common assumption that women without children either suffer lifelong regret or tend to be cold and "non-nurturing."
Based on over 125 interviews, this book explodes our cultural myths by exploring not only the reasons why these women do not have children, but also how not having children affects their day-to-day lives. Vissing brings alive the central issues for these women in part by having them tell their stories in their own words. The book is organized in three main sections-the social context of "childlessness," its causes, and its meanings. Each section places the women's experiences within a demographic and sociological context to help readers understand the issues these individuals face and their efforts to make a place for themselves in a child-centered society.
Women without Children is also a celebration of the strength, beauty, and love demonstrated by women who-by accident or choice-have not borne or raised children. The book is intended simultaneously to provide understanding and insights, as well as comfort and empowerment, to those who traditionally have been made to feel less than whole because they do not have children.
About the Author
Yvonne Vissing is a professor of sociology at Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts, where she is the coordinator for its Center for Child Studies. She is the author of Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Homeless Children and Families in Small-Town America.
