A Qualitative Study on the Marital Experiences of Childfree Couples in Turkey

Abstract

Voluntary childlessness (VC), or being childfree, refers to intentionally choosing not to become a parent. VC is a growing trend that influences couple relations and individual life trajectories in many countries. However, very few studies have examined this emerging phenomenon in non-Western contexts. To contribute to a contextualized understanding of VC and increase the diversity of voices in the literature, the present qualitative study aimed to explore marital experiences of childfree couples in Turkey where strong pronatalist family-oriented norms and a conservative gender order coexist with increasing individualism and egalitarian practices. The sample was recruited through convenience strategies and consisted of 5 married childfree couples who were educated professionals with an age range of 25-47. The data was collected through separate semi-structured individual interviews with each partner. An inductive thematic analysis of the interviews revealed 4 main themes: 1) Having children is a challenging experience, 2) By being childfree, we can build our marriage on togetherness and equality, 3) For us, being childfree is a mutual, yet indefinite choice, 4) A childfree marriage comes with social pressure. The results showed that childfree couples seek to build a non-traditional marital relationship and live an autonomous life. The wives seemed to be pressured and questioned more than the husbands. The study indicates that being childfree involves unique socio-cultural, gender, and couple processes. Implications for clinicians working with childfree individuals and couples in strongly pronatalist and traditional contexts like Turkey are discussed.