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"In How to Be Childless: A History and Philosophy of Life Without Children, Rachel Chrastil explores the long and fascinating history of childlessness, putting this often-overlooked legacy in conversation with the issues that childless women and men face in the twenty-first century. Eschewing two dominant narratives, that the childless are either barren and alone, or that they are carefree and selfish, How to Be Childless instead argues that the lives of childless individuals from the past can help all of us expand our range of possibilities for the good life. In uncovering the voices and experiences of childless women from the past five hundred years, Chrastil demonstrates that the pathways to childlessness, so often simplified as 'choice' and 'circumstance', are far more complex and interweaving."--Book jacket.

x, 233 pages : black and white illustrations ; 25 cm

How to be childless : a history and philosophy of life without children / Rachel Chrastil.

347 pages : black and white illustrations ; 25 cm

Women's health guide / Ann Furedi, Mary Tidyman.

Building a family with the assistance of donor insemination / Ken Daniels.

"Pronatalism. At its core, it's the belief that having children should be the central focus of every adult's life. In this book, Laura Carroll shows us how pronatalist beliefs have become so embedded that they have come to be seen as 'true'. She examines how they negatively affect us individually and collectively, and why all of us can no longer afford to leave pronatalist assumptions unquestioned. She scrutinizes seven major pronatalist assumptions and offers alternative mindsets that reflect today's society. Whether you are already a parent, want to be a parent, or don't want children, you will never think about parenthood in the same way."--From cover.

The baby matrix : why freeing our minds from outmoded thinking about parenthood & reproduction will create a better world / Laura Carroll.

14 unnumbered pages : black and white illustrations ; 15 cm

Cats not kids. #3.

x, 59, [3] pages, [1] folded leaf of plates : illustrations ; 12to (15 cm)

Fruits of philosophy, or, The private companion of young married people / by Charles Knowlton, M.D. ; containing the various hypothesis of generation; structure of the female organs; menstruation; conception; remedies against barrenness and impotency; and a review of the most efficient checks to impregnation, viz: sponges, non-emission, baudruches and chemical injections.

Many women expect to become mothers but are childless through social rather than biological reasons - perhaps they haven't met the right person or they prioritised career or education earlier in life. Featuring international interviews by grief counsellor and researcher Lois Tonkin, this collection of first-person stories provides insight into the under-discussed situation of being childless by circumstance. Each story highlights the different aspects of being childless by circumstance, as women move through their 30s, 40s, and 50s, and beyond their ages of fertility. The book explores feelings of grief and loss, and also how women adapt positively to their changed life expectations, finding excitement in the alternative, rich and complex shapes their lives have taken.

Motherhood missed : stories of loss and living from women who are childless by circumstance / Lois Tonkin ; foreword by Jody Day.

Women from all over the country share their experiences and offer insights into what it is like not having children, and describe what factors helped shape their decision to remain childless.

Beyond motherhood : choosing a life without children / Jeanne Safer.

"Bearing Life is the first anthology to marshal the power of literature to break this silence. Here, more than fifty contemporary writers reflect candidly and movingly on what it means to live as women without children. These stories, poems, and personal essays speak directly from - and to - the conflicting, often painful, and sometimes liberating emotions of childless women. In voices that range from mournful to jubliant, this diverse collection explores experiences of accepting infertility and of choosing abortion; of losing children to miscarriage, death, incarceration, or divorce; of creating a future in families, reimagined; of acknowledging loss and celebrating solitude."--From cover.

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How to be childless : a history and philosophy of life without children / Rachel Chrastil.

Women's health guide / Ann Furedi, Mary Tidyman.

Building a family with the assistance of donor insemination / Ken Daniels.

The baby matrix : why freeing our minds from outmoded thinking about parenthood & reproduction will create a better world / Laura Carroll.

Cats not kids. #3.

Motherhood missed : stories of loss and living from women who are childless by circumstance / Lois Tonkin ; foreword by Jody Day.

Beyond motherhood : choosing a life without children / Jeanne Safer.

Bearing life : women's writings on childlessness / edited by Rochelle Ratner.

Reconceiving women : separating motherhood from female identity / Mardy S. Ireland.

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More filters

Active filters:

How to be childless : a history and philosophy of life without children / Rachel Chrastil.

Women's health guide / Ann Furedi, Mary Tidyman.

Building a family with the assistance of donor insemination / Ken Daniels.

The baby matrix : why freeing our minds from outmoded thinking about parenthood & reproduction will create a better world / Laura Carroll.

Cats not kids. #3.

Motherhood missed : stories of loss and living from women who are childless by circumstance / Lois Tonkin ; foreword by Jody Day.

Beyond motherhood : choosing a life without children / Jeanne Safer.

Bearing life : women's writings on childlessness / edited by Rochelle Ratner.

Reconceiving women : separating motherhood from female identity / Mardy S. Ireland.

Stay in the know

Wellcome collectionWellcome Collection

Finding us:

Opening times:

Today's opening times

Wellcome collection