Ageing without Children

The purpose of this proposed project is to investigate how aging individuals plan and prepare for childless aging given structural and cultural forces on a macro-societal level, and how they construct meanings of later-life childlessness.

The research will be a 3-year project, consisting of three empirical studies, a theoretical paper, and a policy brief to be produced.

The research will utilize theoretical perspectives from gerontology i.e., life-course, political-economic, humanistic, and culturalist approaches.

Qualitative methods will be used to gain in-depth insights into lived experiences and the meanings of aging without children.

Specific analysis methods are life-history methods, interpretative phenomenological analysis, and ethnographic analysis.

The scientific novelty will be pursued in evidencing new constructs and complexities in the process of aging without children, developing theories of childlessness, seeking theoretical generalizability in a cultural context, and applying a proactive approach to societal aging.

The findings of this research will redound to society’s benefit and the well-being of childless adults, given its endeavors in knowledge generation, translation, and sharing.

Collaborators from different disciplines and countries will be involved in the research and communication with civil society.