Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-p566r Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T12:40:43.726Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Social and Emotional Aspects of Voluntary Childlessness in Vasectomized Childless Men

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

R. H. Magarick
Affiliation:
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore
R. A. Brown
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA

Summary

Responses of 44 vasectomized voluntarily childless men and 51 vasectomized fathers were compared on the California Psychological Inventory, the Bowerman Scale of Marital Satisfaction and a questionnaire. The childless felt negatively stereotyped, but there were no differences between the parents and childless on marital satisfaction, reported childhood happiness or level of psychological adjustment. There were differences in modes of adjustment, with the childless seemingly less tied to tradition, more inclined to experiment and showing more capacity for independent thought than the parents. The findings suggested that childlessness may be a viable, healthy lifestyle, not determined by or associated with personal or social pathology.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1981, Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bardwick, J.M. (1971) Psychology of Women: A Study of Bio-cultural Conflicts. Harper and Row, New York.Google Scholar
Bell, R.R. (1971) Marriage and Family Interaction. Dorsey, New York.Google Scholar
Euros, O.K. (1972) The Seventh Mental Measurements Yearbook. Gryphan, Highland Park, New Jersey.Google Scholar
Burr, W.R. (1971) An expansion and test of a role theory of marital satisfaction. J. Marriage & Fam. 33, 368.Google Scholar
Centers, R. & Blumberg, G.H. (1954) Social and psychological factors in human procreation. J. soc. Psychol. 40, 245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clausen, J.A. & Clausen, S.R. (1973) The effects of family size on parents and children. In: Psychological Aspects of Population, pp 185208. Edited by Fawcett, J. T.. Basic Books, New York.Google Scholar
Duvall, E. (1962) Family Development. Lippincott, New York.Google Scholar
Gough, H.G. (1968) An Interpreter's Syllabus for the California Psychological Inventory. Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, California.Google Scholar
Gough, H.G. (1969) Manual for the California Psychological Inventory. Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, California.Google Scholar
Greenbaum, H. (1973) Marriage, family and parenthood. Am. J. Psychiat. 130, 1262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (1973) Human Reproduction. Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, New York.Google Scholar
Gustavus, S.O. & Henley, J.R. Jr (1971) Correlates of voluntary childlessness in a select population. Soc. Biol. 18, 277.Google Scholar
Gutman, D. (1975) Parenthood: a key to the comparative study of the life cycle. In: Life Span Development Psychology: Normative Life Crises. Edited by Datan, N. & Ginsberg, L. H.. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Hamersma, R.J., Miller, C., Anderegy, T. & Rudolph, B. (1975) Psychological dynamics and self-perception of vasectomy candidates. Percept. Mot. Skills, 40, 1004.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoffman, L.W. & Hoffman, J.L. (1973) The value of children to parents. In: Psychological Aspects of Population, pp. 1976. Edited by Fawcett, J. T.. Basic Books, New York.Google Scholar
Houseknecht, S.K. (1977) Reference group support for voluntary childlessness: evidence for conformity. J. Marriage & Fam. 39, 285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaltreider, N.B. & Margolis, A.G. (1977) Childless by choice. Am. J. Psychiat. 134, 179.Google ScholarPubMed
Luckey, E. (1966) Number of years married related to personality perception and mentality satisfaction. J. Marriage & Fam. 28, 44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Megargee, E.I. (1972) The California Psychological Inventory Handbook. Jossey Bass, Washington.Google Scholar
Nie, N.H., Hull, C.H., Jenkins, J.G., Steinbrenner, K. & Bent, D.H. (1975) Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, 2nd edn.McGraw-Hill, New York.Google Scholar
Peck, E. (1971) The Baby Trap. Bernard Geir, New York.Google Scholar
Peck, E. & Senderowitz, J. (Eds) (1974) Pronatalism: The Myth of Mom and Apple Pie. Thomas Crowell, New York.Google Scholar
Pohlman, E. (1970) Childlessness, intentional and unintentional. J. nerv. ment. Dis. 151, 2.Google Scholar
Pratt, L. & Whelpton, P.K. (1955) Social and psychological factors affecting fertility. Interest in and liking for children in relation to fertility planning and size of planned families. Milbank meml Fund q. Bull. 33, 430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rainwater, L. (1965) Family Design: Marital Sexuality, Family Size and Family Planning. Aldine, Chicago.Google Scholar
Renne, K.S. (1971) Health and marital experience in an urban population. J. Marriage & Fam. 33, 338.Google Scholar
Rodgers, D.A., Ziegler, F.J., Rohr, P. & Prentiss, R.J. (1963) Sociopsychological characteristics of patients obtaining vasectomies from urologists. Marr. Fam. Living, 25, 331.Google Scholar
Safran, C. (1975) Motherhood is not my game. Today's Health, May, 39.Google Scholar
Silka, L. & Kiesler, S.B. (1977) Couples who chose to remain childless. Fam. Plann. Perspect. Jan/Feb, 16.Google Scholar
Udry, J.R. (1971) The Social Context of Marriage. Lippincott, New York.Google Scholar
Veevers, J.E. (1973a) The childfree alternative: rejection of the motherhood mystique. In: Women in Canada, pp. 183199. Edited by Stephenson, M.. New Press, Toronto.Google Scholar
Veevers, J.E. (1973b) Voluntary childless wives: an exploratory study. Social, soc. Res. 57, 356.Google Scholar
Veevers, J.E. (1973c) The social meanings of parenthood. Psychiatry, 36, 291.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Veevers, J.E. (1974) The parenthood prescription. Alternatives: Perspective on Society and Environment, 3, 32.Google Scholar
Ziegler, F.J., Rodgers, D.A. & Kriegsman, S.A. (1966) Effects of vasectomy on psychological functioning. Psychosomat. Med. 23, 50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar