Childless Couples During The 19th Century

Review of Literature: Childless Couples If a person is asked about the definition of the American dream, in many cases people will respond with examples of having a career, buying a home, or even starting a family. Although dreams such as these are typical, there are those who choose to embrace the idea of taking an anomalous path. For many decades couples have chosen not to bear children for various reasons including personal goals or the inability to conceive. Exploring this topic is significant because it allows researchers to discover more information about a specific population. Furthermore, researchers can report on the motivations and reasoning for choosing to not have children. The following pages will analyze various aspects of the childless ideology. First, the idea of childlessness during the early 19th Century will be discussed. Next, we will move into some of the specific intentions as to why couples choose to remain childless in the United …show more content…
Majumdar (2004) conducted a study to better understand the intentions of those who choose to remain childless within the United States. The researcher collected data from the National Survey of Families and Households, with a total sample size of 13,008 respondents. In an attempt to collect more accurate information, the researcher collected information about personal goals and benefits from not having children from those females who were 39 years or older, and who were married or cohabitating with a spouse. The researcher also highlighted the importance of facilitators and barriers when it comes to the intentions of refraining from having children. As for facilitators, these include “personal goals and relational factors like discord and fairness in domestic work” (p. 109). The researcher also hypothesized that barriers include the benefits of childbearing, dyadic happiness, and even traditional gender roles (Majumdar,

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