Rae is a legend! From birth, she’s always been very sure of who she is and what she wants, feeling a powerful sense of inner strength - an absolutely no maternal instinct 🙅‍♀️

Now 72, she was the baby of her family, but always treated like an adult, especially by her pharmacist father, who supplied her with the contraceptive pill among his other support. Rae seized the opportunity to create a life of her own, working behind the scenes in TV, training as a handwriting expert and now campaigning as an animal rights activist.

Rae has gathered around herself a feathered family, anchored by her husband Bob AKA Daddy Bird! And while theirs is a beautiful love story which will end in a graceful green burial, Rae’s sense of self holds strong. We completely co-sign these words of wisdom: “be your own best friend and be ready to be there when no one else might be”.

Get ready to meet an absolute icon 💎

Join the waitlist for Hearth, an intimate live programme for childfree women who are ready to stop carrying the questions alone, and start finding answers together. Next cohort coming soon from We are Childfree!

Support our mission of celebrating childfree lives by becoming a Dolly Patron. You’ll get full-length episodes of the pod, access to all our beautiful portraits, exclusive BTS from our journey, and more!

Follow We are Childfree on Substack, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

And find out more at wearechildfree.com

Another week, another birth rate panic!

We recorded this ep before Dr Oz starting shrieking out about “under-babied” Americans, when the UK was freaking out about the death rate possibly exceeding the birth rate…

But guess what bro, the birth rate’s been falling for 50 years! It might be time to accept that and adapt - unless what you’re really worried about is being “replaced” by people who don’t look or live like you?

And even if you believe the birth rate is a problem to be solved, as childfree people, is it our problem? 📉💥

The Independent: UK population growth set to slow due to reduced migration and lower fertility rates

OVERSHOOT podcast: Falling Birth Rates are Not a Crisis | Philip N. Cohen

BBC: More UK deaths than births expected every year from now on, ONS projects

The Telegraph: Britain’s demographic timebomb is about to blow. We have three terrible choices

Statista: Fertility rate hits record low in England and Wales

We are Childfree podcast: Childfree Elder Judi: “I Feel Joyful Every Day”

Daily Mail: UK fertility timebomb: Crisis as birth rates drop to all time low with some areas becoming 'baby deserts' as so few are having children

Diabolical Lies podcast: Gen Z Women's New "Anti-Woke Voice”

The Guardian: The tipping point: what happens when deaths outnumber births?

Our World in Data: Fertility rate

Life Without Children: Russia Is Sending Women Who Don’t Want Kids To Have Their Heads Checked

Journal: Earth at risk: An urgent call to end the age of destruction and forge a just and sustainable future

Come see us at Storyhouse Childless in September in the UK! We’ll be giving a keynote speech about the birth rate panic, hosting panels on ageing without children, creating community, and childfree men - and we’d love to see you there. Grab your weekend pass here.

Support our mission of celebrating childfree lives by becoming a Dolly Patron. You’ll get full-length episodes of the pod, access to all our beautiful portraits, exclusive BTS from our journey, and more!

Follow We are Childfree on Substack, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

And find out more at wearechildfree.com

Get curious with Judi, 68, who’s truly made the most of her freedom. Born an only child in a time and place when that was rare, she grew up in Los Angeles and spent summers with her countless cousins in Tennessee, having her eyes opened to different lifestyles and different choices from a young age.

Determined to make the most of opportunities her grandmothers never had, Judi started her own business - Mannequin Madness! - nurtured kids her own way as a mentor in a Big Sister programme, explored her spirituality as a Buddhist, travelled the world and now wants to learn Spanish and move south of the border.

Judi’s secret to feeling joyful every day? Practising gratitude, even in the hard times, and staying curious about the world. We hope this conversation brings a big smile to your face lovelies 😃

Join the waitlist for Hearth, an intimate live programme for childfree women who are ready to stop carrying the questions alone, and start finding answers together. Coming soon from We are Childfree!

Support our mission of celebrating childfree lives by becoming a Dolly Patron. You’ll get full-length episodes of the pod, access to all our beautiful portraits, exclusive BTS from our journey, and more!

Follow We are Childfree on Substack, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

And find out more at wearechildfree.com

We’re always warned we’ll end up unhappy if we don’t have children, but a recent study’s shown that parents are no happier than non-parents - and that’s SCIENCE! Cue the pronatalist backlash from self-proclaimed experts, including a bunch of dumb dads, claiming that what we’re really missing out on is meaning. But what’s the purpose of “Purpose” if it doesn’t make you, or anyone else, happy? Listen in to hear the parental happiness myth busted, how you don’t have to earn your place on the planet and why hedonism is a good thing, actually 🍾

Having children DOESN'T make you happy: Becoming a parent provides no boost to wellbeing, study claims – but it does ruin your relationship

Dinky Podcast: stories from regretful parents

Parents are not happier but have a greater sense of meaning in life

We are Childfree podcast: No regrets, with 78 year-old childfree trailblazer Marcia Drut-Davis

Am I a happier person for having a child? It’s the wrong question to ask

We are Childfree podcast: You are enough, with Dr Kate Tomas

Join the waitlist for Hearth, an intimate live programme for childfree women who are ready to stop carrying the questions alone, and start finding answers together.

Support our mission of celebrating childfree lives by becoming a Dolly Patron. You’ll get full-length episodes of the pod, access to all our beautiful portraits, exclusive BTS from our journey, and more!

Follow We are Childfree on Substack, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

And find out more at wearechildfree.com

Meet Esther, 67, based in New Zealand. She's dedicated her life to teaching kids how to be curious and independent, and thinks of her students as her "lights in the world", her living legacy.

Esther's come a long way from being adopted in Germany, and raised by neglectful parents who sought - unsuccessfully - to control her. She's travelled the world, campaigned for Greenpeace, championed underprivileged kids... and she says that every decade of her life just gets better!

Hearing from childfree elders brings us so much hope and pride, and it's our pleasure to introduce you to the ever-inspiring Esther 💝

Join the waitlist for Hearth, an intimate live programme for childfree women who are ready to stop carrying the questions alone, and start finding answers together. Coming soon from We are Childfree!

Support our mission of celebrating childfree lives by becoming a Dolly Patron. You’ll get full-length episodes of the pod, access to all our beautiful portraits, exclusive BTS from our journey, and more!

Follow We are Childfree on Substack, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

And find out more at wearechildfree.com

A third of Gen Z men believe that a wife should always obey her husband. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! James takes us on a deep dive into young men’s attitudes about women, themselves and - most worryingly - gender equality. A survey that dropped on International Women’s Day shows how badly patriarchy drives men to hurt themselves, other men, and especially women. Listen in to hear Zoë get horrified about the state of the genders across generations, and maybe find a little bit of hope for the future 🙏

“Gen Z males twice as likely as baby boomers to believe wives should obey husbands“

Joan Smith in The Guardian: "As a boomer, I’m shocked by gen Z’s attitude towards women – something has gone very wrong"

Katie Jagielnicka: Gen Z Men Will Never Be Breadwinners

Join the waitlist for Hearth, an intimate live programme for childfree women who are ready to stop carrying the questions alone, and start finding answers together. Coming soon from We are Childfree!

Support our mission of celebrating childfree lives by becoming a Dolly Patron. You’ll get full-length episodes of the pod, access to all our beautiful portraits, exclusive BTS from our journey, and more!

Follow We are Childfree on Substack, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

And find out more at wearechildfree.com

Spoiler alert for Love Is Blind Season 10! And yes, we know he’s called Mike - but sometimes it’s hard to tell these guys apart 😅 Zoë dives deep into the toxic reality TV trope of “You’d be a great mom!” and reveals to James - and all of y’all - just how deep the pronatalist rabbit hole goes. You’re welcome? Seriously, we loved dissecting one of our guilty pleasures - if you enjoyed this too, let us know and we’ll do more eps like this!

Liz Plank never lies: Love Is Blind Is Not a Dating Show It’s a Nature Documentary.

Listen to Taking the road less-travelled, with 65-year-old clinical psychologist Shelley.

Find out the problems with genetic testing, with this Ill Conceived podcast on Surrogacy.

Join the waitlist for Hearth, an intimate live programme for childfree women who are ready to stop carrying the questions alone, and start finding answers together. Coming soon from We are Childfree!

Support our mission of celebrating childfree lives by becoming a Dolly Patron. You’ll get full-length episodes of the pod, access to all our beautiful portraits, exclusive BTS from our journey, and more!

Follow We are Childfree on Substack, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

And find out more at wearechildfree.com

The podcast is back! Zoë and James check in from the Canary Islands, taking a break from our Childfree Elders Project to share some inspiration and hope from older icons 🙌 If you've ever wondered, "Will I regret not having children?", then this ep is for you!

Watch the video of this episode here.

Check out our Childfree Elders Project - share your story and help spread the word!

Learn how to look at your life with curiosity from our beautiful portrait of the iconic Maria Coffey

Listen to Don’t fear regret, with Orna Donath

Support our mission of celebrating childfree lives by becoming a Dolly Patron. You’ll get full-length episodes of the pod, access to all our beautiful portraits, exclusive BTS from our journey, and more!Follow We are Childfree on Substack, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

And find out more at wearechildfree.com

Meet Jody Day, an icon, an inspiration, and a pioneer in creating community for non-parents 💝

From the episode:

- how Jody worked through her childless grief to feel as childfree as if she’d chosen it

- why everyone along the non-parent spectrum needs to unite to fight against the powers of pronatalism

- Alterkin, Jody’s innovative, in-person, intergenerational community of non-parents who vow to support each other as they age

We are Childfree is an independent podcast and we rely on community support to keep going. Please consider becoming a Dolly Patron, starting at €5 a month. You’ll get full episodes, exclusive portraits, access to the chat and free childfree stories straight to your inbox.

Help us get to 2000 members, to cover the costs of celebrating and supporting childfree lives for one more year! Find out how to become a Dolly Patron at wearechildfree.substack.com

🔗 Links

Find Jody at Gateway Elderwomen  Book: Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on The Decision Not To Have Kids - edited by Meghan Daum Book: The Baby Matrix: Why Freeing Our Minds From Outmoded Thinking About Parenthood & Reproduction Will Create a Better World - Laura Carroll Book: No One Talks About This Stuff - edited by Kat Brown

We spill the childfree tea on the complicated feelings that come up when we find out our friends are pregnant. It’s something almost all of us will face at some point - so we surveyed the childfree community to get the truth about the topic!

Then, in a re-released Ask WAC chat, we rally round a couple whose friend groups are now full of parents, with little time for anything but their kids. This is such a tricky problem, so we tapped the We are Childfree community hive mind for some stellar support and amazing advice!

If you’d like more support making and keeping friends, you can join Zoë and a small group of childfree cheerleaders for a live workshop to feel seen, supported, and connected - especially when your friendships are shifting 🤗

Links

Childfree Cheer Camp Presents: Navigating Friendships 🤗

Survey: Navigating Friendships 🤗 Help us help you!

Podcast: Claiming Zero - Friendship Before and After Kids