Non-mothers: identities, ambiguity, biography making and life choices

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Date
2023-07-31
Authors
Cronin, Joan
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Publisher
Policy Press
Published Version
10.51952/9781447365648.ch010
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Abstract
This research draws on interviews with Irish women who consciously decided to forego the motherhood mandate, opting instead to pursue a life without children. The study examines the motives that influenced the women in their decision making, considers the ways in which society reacts to the women’s decision making, and the strategies and identity management techniques that women engage in to preserve a positive sense of self. The women’s narrative accounts document the complex and ambiguous development of a life trajectory based on personal desires and ambitions, free from the commitment and responsibilities involved in raising children.
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Keywords
Non-motherhood , Motives , Decision making
Citation
Cronin, J. (2023). 'Non-mothers: identities, ambiguity, biography making and life choices', in Nurse, L., Moran, L. and Sidiropulu-Janků, K. (eds.) Biographical Research and the Meanings of Mothering: Life Choices, Identities and Methods. Bristol, UK: Policy Press. doi: 10.51952/9781447365648.ch010
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https://hdl.handle.net/10468/15124
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Criminology - Book chapters
Copyright
© 2023, Bristol University Press. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copy edited version of a chapter published in Biographical Research and the Meanings of Mothering: Life Choices, Identities and Methods. Details of the definitive published version and how to purchase it are available online at: https://doi.org/10.51952/9781447365648.ch010