Premium
“They Make Me Not Wanna Have a Child”: Effects of Companion Animals on Fertility Intentions of the Childfree
Author(s) -
LaurentSimpson Andrea
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
sociological inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.446
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1475-682X
pISSN - 0038-0245
DOI - 10.1111/soin.12163
Subject(s) - nature versus nurture , fertility , agency (philosophy) , perception , power (physics) , narrative , social psychology , companion animal , sociology , psychology , developmental psychology , gender studies , social science , demography , population , anthropology , linguistics , physics , philosophy , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , psychotherapist
This article argues that for some who are childfree, the increasing perception of the companion animal as a sentient being with agency provides a deep, meaningful relationship with the power to inform fertility intentions. Qualitative, in‐depth interviews with childfree companion animal owners reveal that this relationship serves to reinforce previous fertility choices such as delaying or completely opting out of childbirth, thus affecting present household structure. This is reflected in the active choice by some participants to have companion animals instead of human children, the presence of a cost‐benefit analysis concerning animal companions and human children, and narratives that express a desire to mother or nurture as fulfilled in the relationship with the companion animal. Implications of these findings for both demography and marriage and family research in the United States are discussed.