The Un-dependents: Q&A

The author Ruby Warrington’s latest book was originally going to be about her personal decision not to have kids but she quickly realised “being child-free is going to be one of the biggest social trends we will see as a global society.”

Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise Of An Unsung Sisterhood zooms out to show what this will look like, and was published at the same time as Crowd DNA’s report, The Un-dependents, on the consciously child-free. We took the opportunity to discuss this rising cohort with Ruby, and how to welcome them as consumers and active members of society… 

We talked to Ruby Warrington as part of our webinar on Freedom: bringing together new narratives around choice. Our report on being childfree is available to download here. 

Hi Ruby, tell us why your child-free story became so much more?
I very quickly realised that it’s going to be one of the biggest social trends we have seen as a global society. It is absolutely going to reshape the way we live. Women globally are having far fewer children, or none at all. It’s time to have a conversation about how this is going to look for individuals and society. 

What reception has this community given Women Without Kids?
They’ve all said they feel seen, heard and understood – often for the first time. It definitely feels like something that needs to be talked about.

Why is this rising cohort coming to the surface now?
Gen X Western women are the first generation to be born following second wave feminism, which fought for effective birth control, access to abortion and to financial and career independence for women. As such, they are the first to have lived with the message from birth that becoming a mother is just one of many paths a woman’s life can take. That’s why as Gen X are ageing out of their reproductive years, we are seeing such a rise in the number of women without kids. Meanwhile, seeing these older women live fulfilling lives without children, will impact choices made by millennials and Gen Z. I think we’ll see an even steeper drop in the birth rate as a result.

So what does the freedom to make that choice look like today?
Women finally have agency over reproductive choices – but there’s nuance to that freedom, especially now. The choice to not have children may be about safeguarding physical well being or financial stability (more and more people can’t afford to have kids, especially those who live in luxury cities like New York, London or Los Angeles). The so-called ‘birth-strike’ movement is about not wanting to bring new children into the world for as long as there is no global consensus on eliminating carbon emissions. I’ve called this cohort the ‘childless by climate change.’ It’s important to consider the reasons for this life path – a lot of people choosing to not have kids is from a place of pain. 

Can brands and media start talking to this group?
Yes, we potentially have more financial resources to put into further education, travel, volunteering, home renovation, hobbies… I think brands in particular are really missing a trick not speaking to this group directly. We might not be on a conventional path that’s easy to sell to, but we are still consuming, contributing, and being active members of society. 

Our report on being consciously child-free, The Un-dependents, is available to download here. For more from Ruby, visit rubywarrington.com, and buy Women Without Kids here.