Childless by Choice: A Feminist Anthology

by Irene Reti (Editor)

Anthologies While several sociological and psychological studies of childless women have been published in the last few years there has not been, until the publication of this title, a book written by the women themselves, an anthology whcih approaches this complex and sensitive subject from a positive, feminist perspective. The writing here is by women of diverse backgrounds and ages--working class and middle class; Jewish, Chicana, Euro-American, African American, Native American, lesbian and heterosexual; rural and urban. The style is accessible and creative, ranging from narrative, to short story, to poetry.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism

Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Irene Reti is a writer and publisher. She is the author/editor of several books with lesbian, feminist, and Jewish themes. From 1984-2000, she ran the lesbian feminist press HerBooks. After the close of HerBooks, Reti continued the press in the form of Juniper Lake Press, a publisher with a feminist, Jewish, and environmental focus.

She directs the oral history program at the university library of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Reti holds a BA in environmental studies and an MA in history from UC Santa Cruz.

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at the right time in my life, a few years ago when I was really struggling with my lack of desire to have children and, in fact, my positive desire to not have children. This anthology includes several short essays and some poetry all about being, as the title indicates, childless by choice. Why do people choose to remain childless? What struggles do they face? How do others respond to them? Seeing how other people answered and dealt with these questions made it easier for me to deal with them myself and to come to terms with my own choice.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to find a book about women who decided not to have children. For some reason, I expected the book to be a little more up-to-date, and not from the 90s.

I appreciate that the editor tried to include many different perspectives on remaining childless. The writings encompass a wide variety of women who chose not to have children for a lot of different reasons. I didn't love some of the poetry.

A couple of the stories resonated with me, and I give the authors credit for compiling a collection that addresses such an important issue.

[Janday · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a bit dated, and a bit more apologetic than I expected it to be. But, it does feature much-needed voices of typically unheard voices of lesbians and minority women on choosing to remain childless. Read it to help track how women feel about choosing to remain childless two decades ago. It's not very different from choosing to remain childless today.

[Emery Clifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first discovered "Childless by Choice: A Feminist Anthology" while attending a Reproductive Health class as a part of my Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major. The right to remain childless was one that particular interested me, especially because I had spent my entire childhood swearing I would never have children. This was a shocking revelation for my family and I was always told that one day, I would change my mind. Thus, it was very empowering for me to read the stories of women who remain childless and how they experience their lives in the absence of having children of their own. In a society where being a woman is equated to the inevitability of motherhood, this anthology is an important book to show that there are different paths available. The anthology combines short essays and poems from a variety of women from a diverse set of backgrounds and loudly proclaims that there is no one right way to be a woman. Motherhood is only one option, it is not a requirement of womanhood.
I have much love for this book and it has provided me with comfort in facing my own decisions surrounding parenting. However, I would love to find a book that is even more modern and more inclusive in its discussion of declining the parental role. As a nonbinary person, I would really like to hear more voices of transgender folks on how they experience the decision to have or not have children.