• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.79-95
• /
• 2013

This study is aimed at exploring the experience of couples choosing not to have children after marriage. To identify the motives for voluntary childlessness and social perceptions, a qualitative research method was used for analysis. After in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 childless couples who had agreed to participate in the research, 15 meaning units, 5 categories, and 3 topics were established. The research findings were categorized as follows: 'the motives for being childless', 'the surrounding response and coping response', and 'the expectation of a childless family's society.' The research participants argued that families without children should be fully accepted in the changing society, with the hope that their childlessness would be respected. The significance of this study is that it focused on the perceptions of families and society, while steering away from personal views on the meaning of a life absent of children. Based on the perception that childlessness is not only a personal matter but also a social issue, this study clearly showed a variety of reactions to childless couples, such as the labeling of them as eccentric people and disapproval of them. Furthermore, this study has elaborated on the personal experience of childless couples by clearly indicating their desires to seek government support and compensation.