New Legacy Radio

Today's episode will offer listeners a timely, often-missing conversation about one of the least considered perspectives in pronatalist narratives, as we delve into the multi-layered impact of pronatalism on children. We will address current realities and future implications for the personal, social and systemic layers of the pronatalist agenda and resulting policies, for children. We will assess the reality of when children are centered and not, around the very meaning and value assigned to their lives and future possibilities. We will also explore questions such as, What kind of parents would children choose? and Should we really all have children? Our guest today is Kristen Tsetsi. She is the visionary author of the childfree-informed, post-Roe novel, The Age of the Child. Kristen uses her writing to explore and normalize the childfree choice, and brings a breadth and depth of perspective and insight to this discussion. Tune in live, to learn more!

In today's episode we will celebrate women without children, who often remain overlooked against the backdrop of pronatalism, with respect to their talents, contributions and impact. We are fortunate to have with us two very talented writers, who are working to ensure that women without children are recognized in literature and throughout history. The collections, research and profiles expressed through their work, hold a significant and respected place in our community. Join us in conversation with Nicole Louie, who is a writer, translator, and content curator, and Emma Duval, writer, independent researcher, and the founder of the Childfree History Museum, the first virtual museum dedicated to the history of women without children. Through their guidance and knowledge, New Legacy Radio listeners and readers will discover and learn more about the extraordinary women, whose talents, influence and impact, pronatalism could not eclipse. As we recognize and celebrate these women, we honor all women without children, past and present, and look to the future possibilities of our collective power and creativity.

Over the past year, through New Legacy Radio, New Legacy Institute has worked to provide a breadth of perspectives from thought leaders, activists, and members of our community, to create a platform of visibility and social justice for our collective community of people without children. We continue to assess the current state of things for our community, from workplace policy, housing and taxation, to global, national policies, which most often exclude and fail to consider the needs of people without children, and those who are single, and in diverse, legally unrecognized relationships. We also have a sense of urgency in addressing the extremist narratives, which are projected onto women, when it comes to reproductive, relational and full life autonomy. In today's episode we will discuss current cultural and policy narratives, which advocate for the control of women's lives. Further, women without children, have been specifically targeted and blamed for unsubstantiated claims of population "crises" across the globe. Therefore, it is vital that we collectively challenge the weaponization of these false narratives, for our community and beyond. Join us for a conversation addressing these issues, and more, with today's guest, Ruby Warrington. As a recognized thought leader, Ruby brings a unique, in-depth perspective to the complexities and priorities of our community, and the culture narratives, which impact women without children. She is the author of the brilliant, highly recommended book, "Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood. "Women Without Kids" published by Sounds True, and is out today!

People without children remain an unrecognized diversity group in the workplace and beyond. How do we begin to imagine the experience of truly inclusive organizational cultures and acknowledgement in the environments we work? What does employment equity for people without children look like?

Today we will speak with Dr. Erin Conner, Co-founder and Vice President of Inclusion Design Group, recognized as a leading DEI firm. We will have an in-depth conversation with Dr. Conner about the complexities of workplace dynamics, and how people without children are impacted.

We will discuss what is key to creating a culture of inclusion, and how individuals and organizations can begin to take steps toward cultural and policy change today.

Please join is for a valuable and vital conversation for people without children, human resource professionals and all who work for diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace!

We often discuss the personal aspects of pronatalism, both in the community of people without children and on this show. We also look at how we are impacted in our everyday environments, such as the workplace. What comes to mind when you consider the global impact of pronatalism?

In this episode, we will explore the greater dimensions of pronatalism, including social stigma, reproductive autonomy and responsibility, and ecological perspectives. We will also speak to population pressures and the importance of centering discourse around the impact of population.

To guide us in this conversation, we are excited to have Nandita Bajaj, the Executive Director of Population Balance with us today! Nandita brings a depth of knowledge, wisdom and compassion as an educator and leading voice on the realities and impact of pronatalism.

Please join us to learn more, and share any questions you may have with us, ahead of the show!

On International Women's Day, join us for this wide-ranging discussion with Jody Day. Whether mothers or not, we are women first, and that's the message IWD needs to get behind. We discuss the dark underbelly of the media & its roots in the ‘shadow’ archetype of the mother, and how the first place change needs to take place is in our own minds, by awakening to the seductive & corrosive power of pronatalism and how it limits the visions, lives & futures of all women (which is exactly what it’s meant to do!) 

Jody Day is the British founder of Gateway Women, the global friendship, support & advocacy network she set up by accident after starting a blog sharing honestly the truth of her childlessness in 2011. It got media attention the day after the very first blog was published. Not long after, she was interviewed for The Guardian newspaper (UK) for a piece that went viral & is still being read today. She has often been referred to as 'the voice of the childless generation' Her compassionate and sometimes humorous take on all things childless-related is one that many have come to rely on.

Jody has written & spoken often of the fetishization of motherhood, whilst devaluing non-motherhood to the detriment of all women. Another example of this is International Women's Day, which has increasingly come to be seen as yet another day in the year to 'celebrate motherhood'. Thus entirely neglecting the role that non-mothers play in the world, and further reducing women's social contributions to their reproductive status.

In the United States, the number of adults over age 55 15.2 million are living without children, while in the UK, the number of people over 65 without children, is expected to rise from over 1.2 million to 2 million by 2030.

Within our community, many are living at the intersection aging and not having children. The impact of both pronatalism and ageism from social policy and care to housing and community, is often lived in silence and social exclusion. The COVID pandemic further isolated those who live living and are often not considered policy meant to meet specific needs during such times.

While there are a growing number of gerontologists ad experts in the ageing field, our guest today, Patricia Faulks has a unique voice in this area, based on her lived experiences and expert insight. Please join us for this necessary and meaningful conversation today!

On today’s episode, we are going to discuss access to sterilization for those who choose not to have children, and the obstacles and discrimination they face, around personal agency and choice. Our guest today is Dr. Elizabeth Hintz, who has done extensive research on this topic.

We will examine the extreme differences in access to permanent contraception by those who can become pregnant and those seeking vasectomies, and discuss how the post Roe v Wade (Dobbs) ruling continues to impact access to sterilization, while a rise in vasectomies has been notable.

Dr. Hintz’s expertise in the field of communication brings a unique and much needed perspective to the ongoing social confrontations and communication challenges experienced by those who do not have children, and in particular, those who are childfree. Tune in for this educational, resource-filled episode!

The conscientious journeys and decision-making processes by people who don’t have children, often remain unacknowledged stories and contributions.

Further, as our community of people without children grows in separate directions, namely via the identities childless and childfree it must be acknowledged that these identities most often reflect only the end points of this continuum.

So, who are we as a collective community? What do the not so tidy experiences of people without children whose paths were not a simple “yes” or “no” look like, and how might the melding and choosing of ‘childless’ and ‘childfree’ identification be more complex than it is generally expressed?

Our guest today is award-winning filmmaker, Maxine Trump, In her film, “To Kid. Or Not to Kid”, Maxine shares her own journey on this continuum. Her film bravely plunges into an aspect of reproductive choice often misunderstood, mischaracterized, or considered too taboo to discuss. With rising public awareness about climate change, resource scarcity and global population, her film asks the question Why can't we talk about not having children?”

Join us for this conversation as we navigate these questions and more!

People without children remain a largely invisible, excluded population, socially and economically. Despite the growth in the number of people without children, ranging from 20%-30% globally, statistics and policy consideration to meet the needs and realities of our community remain outside the mainstream. This is particularly true in academic research, social and economic planning, and policy development.

Today, we will be in conversation with Dr. Zachary Neal, an associate professor of psychology and global urban studies at Michigan State University, and Dr. Jennifer Watling Neal, a professor of psychology at Michigan State University. We will discuss their recently released research findings on childfree demographics and neighborhood satisfaction for those who do not have children. We will also assess some of the ways we can best create change on the basis of greater data-driven information, that reflects our community.