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    A Qualitative Study on the Marital Experiences of Childfree Couples in Turkey
    (Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2024) Erkaya, Merve; Ustunel, Anil Ozge
    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.
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    Childless by choice: a qualitative study on couples' experiences of marriage and voluntary childlessness
    (İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi, 2021) Erkaya, Merve; Balcı, Özge Üstünel
    ABSTRACT: Voluntary childlessness is defined as a process in which individuals do not have a child and they intentionally choose to become childless. The numbers of individuals and couples who decide to remain childless have increased over time. For the Turkish context, based on the statistics of TÜIK (Turkish Statistical Institute), in 2020, 13.5% of households consists of only a wife and a husband without the presence of children (while ignoring cohabiting couples). Despite the growing number of childless individuals and couples, there is limited research how couples experience voluntary childlessness and how they negotiate this decision in their relationships. In the present study, the main aim is to understand the experiences of childfree couples. More specifically, their motivations and rationales behind this decision, experiences of being childfree and the effect of voluntary childlessness over their marital lives are explored. Five married childfree couples were recruited for the present study. The mean age of the participants was 34 (from the age of 25 to 47) and the mean duration of marriages was 5 (from 2 years to 8 years). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each partner individually through online channels, and they took approximately 90 minutes to complete. Based on the thematic analysis of the interviews, four main themes were identified, namely a) meanings of having a child, b) decision making process, c) marital functioning and d) facing societal norms. The findings demonstrated that childfree couples perceived negative aspects (e.g. loss of autonomy) of having children as well as acknowledging its positive aspects (e.g. being as a unique experience). These perceptions were influential in their decision making process as a couple and as individuals. In addition, while making a tentative decision and reflecting on it as couples, there was consensus among partners and direct communication in which they shared their opinions about having children openly. The childfree participants were satisfied with their marital lives based on its unique aspects (e.g., sense of togetherness and strong communication). As being a minority group, they face with some societal norms, experienced a sense of being different from society and develop strategies to cope with those norms. The results of the study are expected to inform the perspectives and practices of clinicians who work with childfree individuals and couples. Discussions of the findings in relation to the existing literature, limitations and suggestions for further studies are presented.