Encore: What Does it Mean to be Childless in a Child-Centered Society?

December 24, 2024
Hosted by Christine Erickson

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Guest Information

Episode Description

In our premiere episode, we will discuss the experience of being involuntarily childless in a pronatalist world, through personal experiences, and the need for change. Our guest for this episode is Hilary Fennell. Hilary is an award-winning programme maker and journalist with extensive experience of working in television and radio as a series producer and director. In her ground-breaking radio documentary, Childless, Hilary Fennell explores the realities and dynamics of being involuntarily childless in a child-centered society. Her voice as a childless not by choice woman, is interwoven with the stories of six other women. Each of the women speak to their diverse journeys in coming to terms with living a life without children. Currently, it is estimated that one in five women in Ireland will not have a child, by the time they reach age 45. It is further estimated that only 10% of these women are childless by choice (child free). Childless, focuses on the other 90% of women, who represent an often less represented group. This group is often silenced by the taboo nature of this topic, which remains today, despite the number of women living without children, not by choice. Further, these statistics do not include other genders. A majority of countries primarily track the parental status of women only. Societies have become obsessed with motherhood and the idealization of human reproduction, supported by pronatalist rhetoric, which is reinforced through policy, in the workplace and socially. Hilary navigates the social, physical and emotional impact of childlessness throughout her documentary, with skillful artistry and a full heart, amidst the shadows of grief, a call for social change, and the lightness of learning to live a full and meaningful life. Please join us to learn more about her incredible radio documentary, and the issues that matter most to those who are living without children, involuntarily.

New Legacy Radio

Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel

New Legacy Radio (NLR) is a social justice platform that amplifies the experiences, perspectives, and contributions of people without children. The show also navigates the multigenerational and intergenerational impact of social and systemic discrimination based on personal reproductive and relationship experiences. In conversation with diverse guests, who have lived experience, and allies, we discuss how these constructs relate to basic human rights, the natural world, global priorities, transnational relationships, and beyond. NLR is brought to you by New Legacy Institute (NLI), the first global policy institute to advocate for the rights of people who do not have children and policy without pronatalism. New Legacy Radio airs live on the VoiceAmerica Variety Channel every Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific Time. Listen live and on-demand: https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/4062

Christine Erickson

Christine J. Erickson (she/her) is the founder of New Legacy Institute (NLI), the only institute focused on the global imposition and real-world impact of pronatalist constructs and policy, and the demographic of people who do not have children. The Institute advocates for equal individual protections across reproductive and relationship experiences, as an urgent, foundational change to social policy. Christine is an experienced leadership advisor, social entrepreneur and policy advocate with vast and diverse global experience. She has an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Episode Directory

December 2024

  • 12/24/2024: Encore: What Does it Mean to be Childless in a Child-Centered Society? Listen Now
  • 12/10/2024: Encore The Greensboro Massacre: Contested History & Truth in Narrative Listen Now
  • 12/3/2024: Encore How Marital Status Bias Can Influence the Healthcare You Receive Listen Now

November 2024

October 2024



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