Enter your email address
Submit
Write your message
Department of Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Kharazmi, Karaj, Iran. , rkasaee82@khu.ac.ir
Abstract: (19 Views)
Background: Voluntary childlessness among employed Iranian women has emerged as a relatively new phenomenon resulting from the interaction of individual, occupational, and structural–cultural factors, and is closely linked to how women experience and redefine gender roles and personal identity. Within the context of dominant social norms, this phenomenon generates diverse subjective meanings and social consequences for employed women. Nevertheless, there remains a significant gap in the literature regarding an in-depth exploration of these women’s lived experiences.
Aims: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of employed Iranian women who have consciously chosen voluntary childlessness.
Methods: This qualitative study adopted a phenomenological approach. The study population consisted of employed Iranian women who experienced voluntary childlessness as an informed and deliberate choice. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using NVivo software through initial coding, extraction of main themes, and interpretive data analysis.
Results: The findings indicated that voluntary childlessness among employed Iranian women is a multidimensional and process-oriented phenomenon that either represents a stable decision formed prior to marriage or emerges gradually through life experiences, marital relationships, and critical events. Spousal agreement played a key role in reinforcing this decision, whereas spousal opposition transformed childlessness into a source of marital tension. Voluntarily childless women experienced substantial social and familial pressures and employed conscious coping strategies to maintain autonomy and psychological well-being. This decision was also associated with changes in social relationships, proactive planning for aging without reliance on children, and a redefinition of feminine identity beyond motherhood. Additionally, preventing the intergenerational transmission of psychological or biological suffering and rational evaluations of economic pressures and life realities contributed to the decision to remain childfree. Ultimately, for many women, voluntary childlessness was accompanied by feelings of freedom, personal and professional growth, and increased marital satisfaction.
Conclusion: The findings provide a foundation for the development of supportive policies and counseling interventions aimed at reducing the negative effects of stigma and social pressure. By proposing a comprehensive conceptual framework, this study offers practical implications for improving individual and family counseling processes in support of women’s diverse life choices.
Aims: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of employed Iranian women who have consciously chosen voluntary childlessness.
Methods: This qualitative study adopted a phenomenological approach. The study population consisted of employed Iranian women who experienced voluntary childlessness as an informed and deliberate choice. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using NVivo software through initial coding, extraction of main themes, and interpretive data analysis.
Results: The findings indicated that voluntary childlessness among employed Iranian women is a multidimensional and process-oriented phenomenon that either represents a stable decision formed prior to marriage or emerges gradually through life experiences, marital relationships, and critical events. Spousal agreement played a key role in reinforcing this decision, whereas spousal opposition transformed childlessness into a source of marital tension. Voluntarily childless women experienced substantial social and familial pressures and employed conscious coping strategies to maintain autonomy and psychological well-being. This decision was also associated with changes in social relationships, proactive planning for aging without reliance on children, and a redefinition of feminine identity beyond motherhood. Additionally, preventing the intergenerational transmission of psychological or biological suffering and rational evaluations of economic pressures and life realities contributed to the decision to remain childfree. Ultimately, for many women, voluntary childlessness was accompanied by feelings of freedom, personal and professional growth, and increased marital satisfaction.
Conclusion: The findings provide a foundation for the development of supportive policies and counseling interventions aimed at reducing the negative effects of stigma and social pressure. By proposing a comprehensive conceptual framework, this study offers practical implications for improving individual and family counseling processes in support of women’s diverse life choices.
Article number: 3
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/08/6 | Accepted: 2026/05/18 | Published: 2026/08/23
Received: 2025/08/6 | Accepted: 2026/05/18 | Published: 2026/08/23
References
1. افشانی، سیدعلیرضا؛ ابویی، آزاده و روحانی، علی (1401). تجربۀ زیسته زنان نابارور از مسئله بی فرزندی. زن در توسعه و سیاست. 20(10)، 21-1. doi: 10.22059/jwdp.2021.327319.1008049
2. باقری خام، بیتا؛ صادقی، احمد و ایمانیان اردبیلی، مسعود (1403). پژوهش تطبیقی و ارائه ی مدل بومی دلایل پایداری زندگی زناشویی زوجین دارای فرزند و بدون فرزند (مورد مطالعه: شهر مشهد). مطالعات فرهنگی-اجتماعی، 2(47)، 9-48. doi: 10.22034/fakh.2025.499669.1708
3. بگی، میلاد. (1402). شیوع، علل و پیامدهای بیفرزندی در ایران و جهان: یک مرور نظاممند. نامه انجمن جمعیت شناسی ایران. 18(35)، 97-148. DOI:10.22034/jpai.2023.2004173.1292
4. پوراکبران، الهه و امین یزدی، سیدامیر (1394). بررسی عملکرد جنسی و رضایت مندی زناشویی در زنان با و بدون سابقه ی زایمان. مجله اصول و بهداشت روانی، 17(4)، 208-202. doi: 10.22038/jfmh.2015.4581
5. درگاه ملی آمار ایران. (1401). نرخ باروری و شاخصهای جمعیتی کشور بر اساس سرشماری و طرحهای آماری. https://www.amar.org.ir
6. فروتن، یعقوب و بیژنی، حمیدرضا (1400). بیفرزندی در ایران: یافتهها و راهکارها. نامه انجمن جمعیت شناسی ایران، 16(32)، 203-177. doi: 10.22034/jpai.2022.535805.1192
7. Afshani, S., Abooei, A., & Ruhani, A. (2022). Lived experience of infertile women of their infertility issue. Woman in Development & Politics, 20(1), 1-21.doi: 10.22059/jwdp.2021.327319.1008049 (in persian).
8. Ahmadi, S. E., Rafiey, H., Sajjadi, H., & Nosratinejad, F. (2019). Explanatory model of voluntary childlessness among Iranian couples in Tehran: A grounded theory approach. Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences, 44(6), 449.https://doi.org/10.30476/ijms.2019.44964
9. Bagi, M. (2023). Prevalence, reasons and consequences of childlessness in the world and Iran: a systematic review. Journal of Population Association of Iran, 18(35), 97-148. DOI:10.22034/jpai.2023.2004173.1292 (in persian).
10. Bagheri Kham, B., Sadeghi, A., & Imanian Ardabili, M. (2024). A comparative study and development of an indigenous model of marital stability among couples with and without children: A case study of Mashhad. Journal of Cultural and Social Studies, 2(47), 9–48. https://doi.org/10.22034/fakh.2025.499669.1708 (in persian).
11. Behboudi-Gandevani, S., Farahani, F. K., & Jasper, M. (2015). The perspectives of Iranian women on delayed childbearing: A qualitative study. Journal of Nursing Research, 23(4), 313-321.DOI: 10.1097/JNR.0000000000000084
12. Borimnejad, L., Bazzazian, S., Barkhordari, F., & Rezaiee, N. (2024). Reasons for intending to childlessness in couples aged 30-45 years: A qualitative study: childlessness in couples. International Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences, 11(2), 21-30.DOI:10.22037/ijabs.v11i1.45389
13. Foroutan, Y., & Bijani, H. R. (2021). Childlessness in Iran: Findings and policy implications. Letter of the Iranian Population Studies Association, 16(32), 177–203. https://doi.org/10.22034/jpai.2022.535805.1192(in persian).
14. Galsanjigmed, E., & Sekiguchi, T. (2023). Challenges women experience in leadership careers: An integrative review. Merits, 3(2), 366-389.https://doi.org/10.3390/merits3020021
15. Gouni, O., Jarašiūnaitė-Fedosejeva, G., Kömürcü Akik, B., Holopainen, A., & Calleja-Agius, J. (2022). Childlessness: concept analysis. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(3), 1464.doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031464
16. Höglund, B., & Hildingsson, I. (2023). Why and when choosing child free life in Sweden? Reasons, influencing factors and personal and societal factors: Individual interviews during 2020 2021. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 35, Article 100809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2022.100809
17. Jamshidimanesh, M., Amirkhalili, E., & Bolghanabadi, N. (2025). The Association Between Stigma with Women's Demographic and Obstetrical Characteristics in the Infertility Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences, 12(12).https://doi.org/10.5812/jnms-158177
18. Mcmahon, M., Patton, W., & Watson, M. (2015). My system of career influences. In Career assessment: Qualitative approaches (pp. 169-177). Rotterdam: SensePublishers.DOI: 10.1007/978-94-6300-034-5_20
19. Nejhaddadgar, N., Mardi, A., & Zare, M. (2025). The impact of new population policies on women's reproductive health pattern in Ardabil, Iran: a comparative cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Reproductive Health, 7, 1520027. DOI: 10.3389/frph.2025.1520027
20. Olalde-Mathieu, V. E., Licea-Haquet, G. L., & Reyes-Aguilar, A. (2024). Motherhood beliefs across sex, age, education and parenthood. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 9, 100783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100783
21. Pourakbaran, E., & Amin Yazdi, S. A. (2015). Sexual functioning and marital satisfaction in women with and without a history of childbirth. Journal of Fundamentals and Mental Health, 17(4), 202–208. https://doi.org/10.22038/jfmh.2015.4581(in persian).
22. Rojas Betancur, H. M., Quirama, A. H., & Rubio, C. R. (2023). Voluntary childlessness in a society reluctant to change. Sociology Compass, 17(2), e13040.DOI: 10.1111/soc4.13040
23. Safdari-Dehcheshmeh, F., Noroozi, M., Taleghani, F., & Memar, S. (2023). Factors influencing the delay in childbearing: A narrative review. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 28(1), 10-19.doi: 10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_65_22
24. Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2023). Research methods for business students (9th ed.). Pearson Education.
25. Shapiro, G. (2014). Voluntary childlessness: A critical review of the literature. Studies in the Maternal, 6(1).DOI: 10.16995/sim.9
26. Statistical Center of Iran. (2022). Fertility rates and national demographic indicators based on census and statistical surveys. https://www.amar.org.ir (in persian).
27. Stahnke, B., Blackstone, A., & Howard, H. (2020). Lived experiences and life satisfaction of childfree women in late life. The Family Journal, 28(2), 159-167.DOI: 10.1177/1066480720911611
28. Szalma, I., Heers, M., & Tanturri, M. L. (2025). Measuring attitudes towards voluntary childlessness: Indicators in European comparative surveys. PloS one, 20(3), e0319081.DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319081
29. Tori, N. A., Sharif-Nia, H., Ghaffari, F., Behmanesh, F., & Pourreza, A. (2023). Effective factors on voluntary childlessness and one-child tendency from couples’ perspective: Compulsory childlessness or child-avoidance?. Caspian journal of internal medicine, 14(4), 656.doi: 10.22088/cjim.14.4.656
30. Zareipour, M., Hosseinzadeh, F., Soheili, A., & Mokhtari, L. (2025). The Viewpoints of Iranian Couples About Childbearing: An Exploratory Qualitative Study. Journal of Research and Health, 15(2), 207-216.doi: 10.32598/JRH.15.2.2479.1
31. Zhang, L., & Zhu, J. (2024). Can higher education improve egalitarian gender role attitudes? Evidence from China. China Economic Review, 88, 102311.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2024.102311
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)