Publication Date
2-12-2024
Abstract
“Childfree” is a chosen identity, reflecting an individual or couple’s decision to not procreate or parent. This paper explores how individuals who identify as childfree exhibit a high degree of agency while navigating external cultural expectations and social sanctions. We use the online discussion forum, Reddit, to unobtrusively examine how individuals negotiate a childfree identity within an online collective identity group. Analysis was performed on 278 user generated Reddit posts under the “childfree” subreddit in March, 2021 and are coded based on the primary emotional tone individuals express in discussing their decision to remain childfree. We describe the identity construction/management using symbolic language found in the qualitative text of these posts. Our findings show that the most common emotion displayed in regards to the childfree identity is frustration or anger, with “rants” being the predominant user-identified post type at 44%. Reddit users are not asked to give any identifying information but 18% either provided their age or provided telling information. The average age for this group was 25.6 years. This exploratory research documents key socio-cultural factors which frame the decisions of the childfree advocates and the individual narratives that are negotiated in an online community.