Childless or Childfree? Paths to Voluntary Childlessness in Italy

摘要

PERMANENT CHILDLESSNESS is on the rise in Europe. Not only in Northern and Continental European countries, but also in Italy, increasing numbers of women are forgoing motherhood (Frejka and Calot 2001; Frejka and Sardon 2004; Sardon 2002; Gonzees andJurado-Guerrero 2006). Research on this topic is relatively scant in Italy, where until just a few years ago, childlessness appeared to be essentially caused by permanent celibacy or sterility. As permanent childlessness has been increasing in recent cohorts, the question has arisen whether, besides the traditional causes, "modern" motivations for childlessness are emerging. It is of interest to assess the extent to which childlessness among younger women is voluntary and to establish the main causes behind this new behavior.