We are Childfree

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

Maria Coffey has lived A LIFE. She started travelling in her teens, desparate to escape safe, settled life in the UK and see the world. From Morocco to Malawi to the remote Solomon Islands, Maria’s adventures have taken her to places and people she never would have experienced had she had children. Now 73, Maria looks back on a life full of love and loss, of risks and rewards - but no regrets!

Follow Maria on Instagram and read her memor Instead: Navigating the Adventures of a Childfree Life (a We are Childfree book club favourite!)

Join your community of childfree cheerleaders and sign up for a We are Childfree membership today!

A listener asks: what do you say when a child asks, do you have kids?

This one goes out to all the cool aunts, childcare professionals, and our wonderful childfree community who offered such great advice!

If you have a problem you'd like the community's help with, email [email protected] with "Ask WAC" as the subject line.

Questions from We are Childfree members get priority! To jump the queue, get episodes a week early, and find your community of childfree cheerleaders, join us at www.wearechildfree.com/join/ 🙌

Links

Winery: Vinarija Bošković

A Bit Fruity podcast: Christian Indoctrination in Homeschooling

The New York Times: Women Who Said No to Motherhood

Story: Mary Gay, 79, USA

We are Childfree: Share Your Story

#DefundPawPatrol

OK this one’s a doozy! Even if you’re sure you want kids, society’s going to try and pressure you to doubt yourself and change your mind. And when that happens, how do you separate those external influences from your true heart’s desire. We offer some guidance, with the help of our wonderful childfree community!

If you have a problem you'd like the community's help with, email [email protected] with "Ask WAC" as the subject line.

Questions from We are Childfree members get priority! To jump the queue, get episodes a week early, and find your community of childfree cheerleaders, join us at www.wearechildfree.com/join/ 🙌

Links

Podcast: No regrets, with 78 year-old childfree trailblazer Marcia Drut-Davis

Masterclass: Create Your Childfree Life Vision

Book: The Baby Matrix

Podcast: Don’t fear regret, with Orna Donath

Podcast: Kids or Childfree

Podcast: Navigating ambivalence, with clarity coach Keltie Maguire

We rally round a childfree couple whose friend groups are now full of parents, with little time for anything but their kids. This is such a tricky problem that we’ve all either faced or one day will, so we tapped the We are Childfree community hive mind for some stellar support and amazing advice!

If you have a problem you'd like the community's help with, email [email protected] with "Ask WAC" as the subject line.

Questions from We are Childfree members get priority! To jump the queue, get episodes a week early, and find your community of childfree cheerleaders, join us at www.wearechildfree.com/join/ 🙌

Links

Study: Parents spend more time with children now than they did 50 years ago

The Cut: Adorable Little Detonators

Report: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation

Meetup Group: Cape Coral Childfree Women

Book: We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships

Childfree Trip: Belize: Jungles, Mayans & Manatees With Zoe

Book: Harpy: A Manifesto for Childfree Women