Abstract
This research compares the attitudes, values and adjustment of childfree women to those of two relevant comparison groups. The study represents a methodological advance in that: (a) the childless sample represents women clearly committed to that lifestyle and (b) childfree women are compared with women who also have made active, although dissimilar, childbearing decisions. Discriminant analysis suggests that voluntarily sterilized, childless women differ from women pregnant for the first time and from women sterilized after having two children in attitudes and values but not adjustment. Findings are discussed in relation to those of other studies which have used: (a) objective assessments of attitudes, values and/or adjustment, and (b) comparison groups.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramowitz, C.V. Blaming the mother: An experimental investigation of sex-role bias in countertransference.Psychology and Women Quarterly 1977,2 24–34.
Ajzen, I., and Fishbein, M.Understanding attitudes and predicting behavior. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1980.
Bem, D.J. Self-perception theory. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.),Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 6). New York: Academic Press, 1972.
Bloom, D.W. What's happening to the age of first birth in the United States? A study of recent cohorts.Demography 1982,19 351–370.
Bruning, J.L., and Kintz, B.L.Computational handbook of statistics. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1977.
Calhoun, L., and Selby, J.W. Voluntary childlessness, involuntary childlessness, and having children: A study of social perceptions.Family Relations 1980,29 181–183.
Cooley, R.S., and Seeman, J. Personality integration and social schemata.Journal of Personality 1979,47 288–304.
Daniels, P., and Weingarten, K.Sooner or later: The timing of parenthood in adult lives. New York: W.W. Norton, 1982.
DeVellis, B.M., Adams, J., and DeVellis, R.F. Effect of information on patient stereotyping.Research in Nursing and Health 1984,7 237–244.
Erickson, E.H.Childhood and society. New York: Norton, 1950.
Fishbein, M. A theory of reasoned action: Some applications and implications. In H. Howe & M. Page (Eds.),1979 Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1980.
Fitts, W.H.Tennessee self-concept scale manual. Nashville: Counselor Recordings and Tests, 1965.
Houseknecht, S.K. Voluntary childlessness: A social psychological model.Alternative Lifestyles 1978,1 379–402.
Houseknecht, S.K. Introduction: Some promising research developments in the area of nonnormative family sizes.Journal of Family Issues 1982a,4 419–430.
Houseknecht, S.K. Voluntary childlessness in the 1980s: A significant increase?Marriage and Family Review 1982b,5 51–69.
Houseknecht, S.K. Voluntary childlessness: Toward a theoretical integration.Journal of Family Issues 1982c,4 459–471.
Jamison, P.H., Franzini, L.R., and Kaplan, R.M. Some assumed characteristics of voluntarily childfree men and women.Psychology of Women Quarterly 1979,4 266–273.
Lott, B.E. Who wants children? Some relationships among attitudes toward children, parents, and the liberation of women.American Psychologist 1973,28 573–582.
Nunnally, J.C.Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978.
Seaver, W.B., Kirchner, E.P., Straw, M.K., and Vegega, M.E. Parenthood motivation questionnaire: Scales for measuring motivations for and against parenthood.JSAS Selected Documents in Psychology 1977,7 69. (Ms. No. 1519).
Seeman, J. Toward a concept of personality integration.American Psychologist 1959,14 633–637.
Seeman, J.Personality integration. New York: Human Sciences Press, 1982.
Spence, J.T., & Helmreich, R. The attitudes toward women scale: An objective instrument to measure attitudes toward the rights and roles of women in contemporary society.JSAS Selected Documents in Psychology 1982,2 66.
Teicholz, J.G. A study on voluntary childlessness.Optional Parenthood Today 1979,7 4.
Veveers, J.E. Voluntary childlessness: A review of issues and evidence.Marriage and Family Review 1979,2 1–26.
Wallston, B.S. Childfree. In J. Evansgardner (Ed.),ABC's of feminism, Book under review, 1984.
Welds, K.Voluntary childlessness in professional women. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, 1976.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was supported in part by Biomedical Sciences Support Grant FR-RR07087 to the second author from the General Research Support Branch, Division of Research Resources, Bureau of Health Professions, Education and Manpower Training, National Institutes of Health. The authors would like to thank Robert F. DeVellis, Jo Anne L. Earp, Charlotte Friedberg and an anonymous reviewer for comments on an earlier draft of this article.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DeVellis, B.M., Wallston, B.S. & Acker, D. Childfree by choice: Attitudes and adjustment of sterilized women. Popul Environ 7, 152–162 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01255486
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01255486