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

Basit Öğe Kaydı
dc.authoridUstunel, Anil/0000-0002-1983-6372
dc.contributor.authorErkaya, Merve
dc.contributor.authorUstunel, Anil Ozge
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-18T20:45:31Z
dc.date.available2024-07-18T20:45:31Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.departmentİstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesien_US
dc.description.abstractVoluntary 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.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/2692398X.2023.2240680
dc.identifier.endpage107en_US
dc.identifier.issn2692-398X
dc.identifier.issn2692-3998
dc.identifier.issue1en_US
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-85165710177en_US
dc.identifier.scopusqualityN/Aen_US
dc.identifier.startpage80en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1080/2692398X.2023.2240680
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11411/7591
dc.identifier.volume35en_US
dc.identifier.wosWOS:001033950600001en_US
dc.identifier.wosqualityN/Aen_US
dc.indekslendigikaynakWeb of Scienceen_US
dc.indekslendigikaynakScopusen_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherRoutledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltden_US
dc.relation.ispartofInternational Journal of Systemic Therapyen_US
dc.relation.publicationcategoryMakale - Uluslararası Hakemli Dergi - Kurum Öğretim Elemanıen_US
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessen_US
dc.subjectVoluntary Childlessnessen_US
dc.subjectChildfree Couplesen_US
dc.subjectMarriageen_US
dc.subjectGender Equalityen_US
dc.subjectTurkeyen_US
dc.subject>en_US
dc.subjectVoluntary Childlessnessen_US
dc.subjectChoiceen_US
dc.subjectAttitudesen_US
dc.subjectWomenen_US
dc.subjectMenen_US
dc.titleA Qualitative Study on the Marital Experiences of Childfree Couples in Turkeyen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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