Childlessness: a life choice that goes against the norm

Abstract

In France, only a minority of people wish to remain childless, and the proportion reporting this choice has remained stable for the last two decades. In statistical terms, reporting a wish to remain childless is more frequent among persons who are not in a union, among highly educated women and among men with a low educational level or at the end of their reproductive life. Data from the Fecond survey (2010) and from a qualitative interview-based survey indicated that more than half of the persons reporting a wish to remain childless are in a union and that the majority give "libertarian" reasons for this choice, such as being "happy without children" and a "desire for freedom". Running counter to the "family" norm, these people affirm a positive life choice focusing on personal fulfilment.