Study seeks childfree women over 30...

[derien]

I'll pass this on - a grad student is looking for women to be part of her study for her doctoral dissertation on childfree women.  I get the impression the ones she's having trouble finding are the bisexuals.

She wrote:
I am specifically trying to recruit bisexual women so that I have enough data to count them as their own group (as opposed to having to lump them with lesbians).

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Childfree? If you are a woman who has chosen not to have children, are 30 or older and in a relationship for at least three years, please be a part of a study that will discover more about the childfree choice. Please go to https://www.indiana.edu/~inter/childfree/, to find out more and be a part of this science based research. This study will look at what it means to be childfree, including childfree women's life and relationship satisfaction.

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Now I'm wondering if I fit her definition of Childfree by Choice...

Definition:

Childfree by choice - The decision to not have children or not take on the role of a parent. This is a conscious choice as opposed to circumstances such as infertility, lack of a willing partner with whom to have a child, or waiting until financially or professionally secure.

I think up until recently I've really been regarding myself as putting it off until I was financially secure. Now I'm looking at my age and saying "Hm, do I want to be just kicking a kid out of the house when I'm turning 60? No, by the time I'm that old I'll need them to change my diaper." But I'd be happy with the role of Evil Auntie, which I started playing at the Chrismas party by pinching the cheeks of a girl who's a skycap at the airport and has these irresistably cute dimples. >;>

Comments

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

If you are a woman who has chosen not to have children, are 30 or older and in a relationship for at least three years

...right. Because obviously, if you're not in a relationship that's lasted at least three years, you can't possibly be childfree-by-choice.

Ah well.

[derien.livejournal.com]

So, I asked her what was up with that three years thing, and this is what she says....


That's a great point Doe and actually someone else has brought that to my attention since yesterday. Here's my response:

There was much debate between my committee members and I on the
delimitations of the survey respondents. I do not believe that the two choices (being childfree and being single or partnered) go hand in hand. However, in the end, I looked to the professional literature for guidance. This suggests that if a person is in a relationship for a substantial period of time (which I have labeled 3 years) they may be more confident about their decision to remain childfree as opposed to never having been in a long term relationship. Having this variable along with the age variable and the definition of childfree by choice will make this a stronger research study. I hope this helps.

Kate

[holyschist.livejournal.com]

Well...my mom's about 55 now, I think, and I'm 20. That's not a problem. My dad being 80 is. It varies, I think. I do kind of incline towards people having kids in their thirties (my mom is very glad she waited that long), but once you head into forties it gets a bit trickier.

Me, I could see myself having kids if I were with someone who really wanted them, but I'm more inclined to be doting aunt -- "Crying? Where's your parent?"

[derien.livejournal.com]

80? No wonder you have trouble with your dad. There's not just one generation gap between you, there's two.