New Legacy Radio: Recent Episodes
Christine Erickson
New Legacy Radio is a social justice platform to increase the visibility of our collective community, and to discuss the changes we seek around the marginalization and oppression of our diverse community.
What does it mean to tell the truth in America? How can truth be discovered through missing narratives and overlooked history? Whose narratives are accounted for and not, who is held accountable, in the face of foundational racial injustice and violence in the US?Today we will be in conversation with Aran Shetterly, author of Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the Struggle for an American City's Soul (Amistad, October 2024). Morningside delves deeply into the event and its immediate aftermath, delivering an intimate account of an overlooked chapter in American history and showing why the Greensboro Massacre is such an important and relevant case study in proximity to our present. Tune in live for this in-depth look at the legacy of the Greensboro Massacre, the Civil Rights to Human Rights movements, and what this means now.
On this US Election Day, November 5, 2024, New Legacy Radio has chosen to honor the voices of women without children. We also celebrate the North American release of Others Like Me: The Lives of Women without Children, written by author Nicole Louie. The book is available today in Canada and the United States and is published by House of Anansi.Others Like Me was published by Dialogue Books in hardback, eBook, and audio in all English-speaking countries except North America, on June 13, 2024. Others Like Me is the story of fourteen women around the world. The women are from different backgrounds and experiences and do not have children. It's also Nicole's story of why she had to find them, and what they taught her. Part memoir, part exploration of childlessness through candid conversations, this book showcases the many ways in which people find fulfillment outside of parenthood. And because the social expectation to procreate weighs the most on women, Nicole focuses solely on them, their experiences, and how they flourish outside of motherhood. In doing so, she upends the stereotypes that diminish women who are not mothers and offers reassurance and companionship on a path less known. This book is a must-read that will resonate with those who have had similar experiences and raise the awareness of anyone wanting to understand the real-world impact of pronatalist bias. This deeply personal exploration of childless and childfree women is also a celebration of women’s lives. The Irish Times selected Others Like Me as one of the nonfiction books to look out for in 2024 and the Stylist Magazine named it one of the best books about women without children. Today we celebrate the continuum of women's experiences of living without children and the beautiful tapestry woven by Nicole Louie, in Others Like Me.*Author Image: Photographer's Credit: © 2023 Amanda Braide
Abortion on the ballot is not an unfamiliar phrase in the United States. This issue has been a polarizing one for US voters, and the threat of revoking women's reproductive rights. At the heart of this issue is the extraction and weaponization of a single issue. Women do not have full autonomy we do not have bodily autonomy. The hyper-focus on controlling the reproductive aspect of women's lives and bodies most poignantly reveals how women are valued and not. Fragmenting reproductive medical needs from healthcare, not only endangers those who want or need to have access to abortion, the impact is far-reaching. We have seen this time and again since the Dobbs decision, from medical patients being denied necessary procedures and medication, to girls who have been forced to give birth.Today we will discuss why the election matters, and why your vote must be counted. We will be in conversation with Karen Mulhauser, a powerful advocate for abortion rights and community organizer, and her colleague Lindy Shapiro, who is committed to engaging youth. They are working to ensure women's freedoms now and for future generations.
Today we will delve into the complex and often incongruent ways the United States works and why it doesn't. To what degree do we know how the country is supposed to work as voters and nonvoters in the upcoming US presidential election? What makes us care and not?William Cooper offers rich insight into the key drivers and less-examined ways of how the political landscape in the US has been shaped. His 2024 book, How America Works...and Why It Doesn't: A Brief Guide to the US Political System is an opportunity to make sense of the American political landscape. He will share historical implications of what we experience today, and which Constitutional provisions have guided the country in the best and worst ways. William Cooper's work addresses what guides our political system alongside the embedded traditional central to America's story. We will discern recent developments, that have led to and created a tumultuous political environment, ahead of the 2024 election, including the shifting role and influence of the Supreme Court. We will speak in-depth about the threat of extreme polarization, what this means for us right now, and what we might expect going forward.Tune in to gain more insight into the political workings of the American Experiment and what this means for you as we near Election Day 2024.
Implicit bias toward people who are unmarried and do not have children is pervasive throughout medical education, protocol, and practice. Models of healthcare based on a presumed family structure are neither inclusive nor safe when patients have different experiences and outcomes based on marital status.Healthcare access, hospital release requirements, post-procedure care, and treatment are designed for those with specific social and familial structures and relationships.The dangers posed throughout the medical field can leave patients to navigate on their own, amidst these unrecognized barriers. How does this impact the quality of healthcare an unmarried person receives?Today's guest is Joan DelFattore, a professor emerita at the University of Delaware. She has researched, written, and spoken widely on singlist bas in medical care. She will share how this bias can significantly affect cancer treatment and the ways medical authors justify the disparate treatment of married and unmarried cancer patients who are otherwise similar. We will discuss what can be done to reduce these adverse outcomes, and the urgent changes we need now. Tune in live to learn more about what you can do to create change amidst healthcare inequity impacting our demographic.
In several ways, akin to the growing collective demographic of people who don't have children, the overlooked value of voter relevance & influence is too often dismissed by dominant political narratives. Tune in for this timely conversation with Matthew Ferrence, author of I Hate It Here, Please Vote for Me: Essays on Rural Political Decay (West Virginia University Press, 2024).In 2020, Matthew Ferrence ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, in a deeply-red district, and lost quite badly. In his newest book, he reflects on this experience to explore how American political narratives refuse to recognize the existence and value of nonconservative rural Americans, and how losing offers insight into the political morass of our nation. In I Hate It Here, Please Vote for Me he offers a counter-narrative to stereotypes of monolithic rural American voters and emphasizes that the ways stories are told about rural America are a source for the bitter divide between Red America and Blue America.Tune in live or on-demand to learn more about the underpinnings of the US political landscape and the need to recognize overlooked nonconservative voters in rural America.
Reproductive healthcare remains a divisive issue in the United States, and once again, abortion is on the ballot in an election nearly one month away. In 2022, the Dobbs Decision took away the constitutional right to privacy and bodily autonomy and gave states increased rights to limit and even outlaw abortions. (Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Supreme Court Decision)The impact of this decision on women and girls resulted in forced births, preventable deaths, and legal prosecution for experiencing miscarriages and crossing state lines to seek necessary reproductive healthcare services.Due to the ever-present need for urgent response to these life-threatening and often life-ending policies, historical perspectives of women’s reproductive healthcare may not always be at the forefront of the abortion debate. Today will learn from the life of a prominent 19th-century icon who offered reproductive healthcare services to women for forty years.Nicholas Syrett has written a brilliant portrayal of one of the most famous abortionists of this time in his book, “The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America’s Most Infamous Female Physician and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime” (The New Press 2023).Nicholas will share the profundity of her work amidst the scandals and consequences of the time. We will also discuss how this relates to the current state of women’s reproductive rights.
Abortion on the ballot is not an unfamiliar phrase in the United States. This issue has been a polarizing one for US voters, and the threat of revoking women's reproductive rights. At the heart of this issue is the extraction and weaponization of a single issue. Women do not have full autonomy we do not have bodily autonomy. The hyper-focus on controlling the reproductive aspect of women's lives and bodies most poignantly reveals how women are valued and not. Fragmenting reproductive medical needs from healthcare, not only endangers those who want or need to have access to abortion, the impact is far-reaching. We have seen this time and again since the Dobbs decision, from medical patients being denied necessary procedures and medication, to girls who have been forced to give birth.Today we will discuss why the election matters, and why your vote must be counted. We will be in conversation with Karen Mulhauser, a powerful advocate for abortion rights and community organizer, and her colleague Lindy Shapiro, who is committed to engaging youth. They are working to ensure women's freedoms now and for future generations.
Today we will discuss self-identity in the context of not knowing one's birth origins. How do social and familial circumstances shape our identities when we enter the world, and throughout our lives? In particular, what is the potential impact of not knowing the origins of your DNA, and the person who embodies it?Nuclear families, parents, guardians, and other immediate people in a child's life, often well-intentioned have withheld knowledge of children's birth identities. While it is more common for this to be a matter of paternity, children who are adopted, whose parents have died, or who otherwise live not knowing the origins of their birth, may also not know the identity of who gave birth to them. What are the reasons for this, and how does this ultimately impact the self-identity of children and adults? David Tereshchuk, author of A Question of Paternity: My Life as an Unaffiliated Reporter, will share his insight and intimate experiences, seeking to find the identity of his father. His story is heartrending and one that will be deeply resonant for so many.
Warning: This episode may contain words and imagery that could be activating to survivors and others who condemn the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).It is an honor to have Angela Peabody on the show today. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Global Woman® P.E.A.C.E. Foundation (GWPF), a nonprofit focused on ending gender-based violence and empowering women and girls through education. With her leadership, GWPF has made significant strides, including organizing the first Walk to End FGM in the U.S., securing legislation to criminalize FGM in the state of Virginia, and advocating for FGM education in Virginia schools. Angela also trains law enforcement and school personnel on FGM and supports survivors through specialized workshops.Angela Peabody is the first Liberian woman to pen and publish a full-length novel. She is the author of the fictional book When the Games Froze, which was republished in May 2023. This book is a heart-wrenching story about everyday people who come together by fate and are destined to help others in need. Tune in to learn about the history of the practice of FGM on infants and young girls and the lifelong impact on survivors. We confront the practices of FGM as it is often a missing conversation in reproductive rights and health education, initiatives, and practices.We are grateful for the work of the Global Woman® P.E.A.C.E. Foundation (GWPF) and all who act to end FGM practices. We highlight the realities of FGM to recognize, remember, and honor all survivors globally.
On today's show, we are honored to have the founder of World Childless Week, Stephanie Joy Phillips as our guest! Last year, Stephanie was awarded the ‘Together’ Make A Difference Award from BBC Hereford and Worcester. We continue to celebrate Stephanie and all she has done in service to those who are childless.We will discuss the upcoming World Childless Week events and learn more about how to participate in and support this meaningful week! World Childless Week will be held from 16-22 September this year, and as always there will be new and familiar voices, creative expressions, webinars, and much more for you to connect in ways that matter most to you right now.We will also assess the recent vitriol aimed at childless people and the varied responses to these verbal attacks. How has this been addressed, and who has been centered in response to these false narratives? Tune in live for these topics and much more!
What opportunities and access do international organizations create for professional changemakers and the communities and populations they serve? How can we assess the most effective pathways toward the change we seek to influence? Joining us today, is Dr. Emiliana Vegas, a professor of practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who has been highly recognized for her career working to inform education policy in the so-called Global South. She has been a leading economist at the World Bank, division chief of education at the Inter-American Bank, and co-director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. She is the author of the soon-to-be-released book, Let's Change the World: How to Work within International Development Organizations to Make a Difference (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers). Dr. Vegas draws on her more than 20 years of international development experience, and her passion for the power of education in Let's Change the World.Tune in live for this dynamic conversation on education, policy, and pathways to making a difference!
Policy steeped in systemic discrimination and privilege continues to prioritize legal unions and the nuclear family. Too often, the presence and history of those who live outside these patriarchally contrived units, have been excluded or suppressed. Further, current policy does not reflect the world as it is today. Unmarried individuals and people without children have not only been present throughout history, we are a growing demographic, globally. However, we remain without the same legal protections and benefits in multiple domains, where marriage and reproduction are upheld as privileged statuses.Our guest today is the author of Moving Past Marriage: Why We Should Ditch Marital Privilege, End Relationship-Status Discrimination, and Embrace Nonmarital History. Dr. Jaclyn Geller is a writer and associate professor of English, at Central Connecticut State University and specializes in Restoration and eighteenth century-studies.In today's conversation, we will explore nonmarital history and the impact of nonmarital and pronatalist discrimination, today. You will not want to miss this conversation with Dr. Geller as she shares her profound insight, expertise, and solutionist approach to nonmarital disenfranchisement!
On this episode of New Legacy Radio, we will be joined by Dr. Jane van Dis. Dr. van Dis is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Rochester and lectures internationally on the intersection of the climate crisis and women's maternal health.Dr. van Dis will share her breadth of knowledge and experience, including the climate crisis and the carbon footprint of medicine, the presence and impact of microplastics, and ecological and population overshoot.We will discuss the current state and impact of national and global crises, the changes required to disrupt these exponential realities, and why dismantling patriarchy is imperative for urgent, forward movement toward resolving the climate crisis.Tune in live to learn more!
Despite the deeply personal nature of our reproductive experiences, women in particular, continue to face external restrictions, limiting or erasing our rights to bodily autonomy. For women without children, there is further backlash, ranging from a lack of social acceptance to outright harassment on social media, and misrepresentation and a lack of true narratives in the media, to having our very lives and the terminology we use to identify our experiences, made illegal.Today we will be joined by our guest, Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos, who is an award-winning journalist, researcher and truth-teller about the realities and the aftermath of ART assisted reproductive technology. She is also an award-winning author and the co-founder of the grassroots initiative ReproTechTruths.org. We will discuss what it means for our personal journeys to be political, and what is mean to be responsive to what is happening in this context. From pronatalist propaganda and fertility decline, to the reproductive technologies industry, our community has become the target of human-centric, and perpetual economic growth narratives. Join is for this in-depth conversation, and learn more about what you can do now, to respond to the current environment for people without children.
New Legacy Radio is honored to be joined by today’s guest, Nicole Louie. She is the author of the recently released book Others Like Me: The Lives of Women without Children, published by Dialogue Books. The book was released in hardback, eBook, and audio in all English-speaking countries except North America on June 13th. Others Like Me will launch in North America on November 5th, published by House of Anansi. Others Like Me is the story of fourteen women around the world, from different walks of life, who don't have children. It's also the story of why Nicole Louie had to find them and what they taught her. Part memoir, part exploration of childlessness through candid conversations, this book showcases the many ways in which people find fulfillment outside of parenthood. And because the social expectation to procreate weighs the most on women, Louie focuses solely on them, their experiences, and how they flourish outside of motherhood. In doing so, she upends the stereotypes that diminish women who are not mothers and offers reassurance and companionship on a path less known. This book is a must-read that will resonate with those who have similar experiences and will raise the awareness of anyone wanting to understand the real-world impact of pronatalist bias. This deeply personal exploration of childless and childfree women is also a celebration of women’s lives. The Irish Times selected Others Like Me as one of the nonfiction books to look out for in 2024 and the Stylist Magazine named it one of the best books about women without children. Tune in on Tuesday, July 30, for a powerful conversation with Author Nicole Louie that you won't want to miss!*Author Image: Photographer's Credit: © 2023 Amanda Braide
Today we celebrate International Childfree Day. In reflecting on what this day means for so many in our collective community, we also want to acknowledge the history and advocacy, behind the origins of this day, and the transition to becoming what it is today.The National Organization for Non-Parents (NON), later named the National Alliance for Optional Parenthood (NAOP), was founded in 1972 by Ellen Peck and Shirley Radl. NON first designated August 1st as Non-Parents' Day, in 1973.In 2013, Laura Carroll, childfree author and writer, lead the way in bringing back the acknowledgment and celebration of this day and date, as an annual “International Childfree Day. Laura guided these efforts for a decade, and this year, passed the torch to Childfree Media, which is co-founded by LeNora Faye and Cody Hetzel.Joining us today are Joan Eisenstodt and Marie Bernardy, who were active participants in NON/NAOP and played key roles in education and visibility on behalf of the organization. Their personal stories of reproductive experiences and choices, and the responses to their public advocacy work demonstrate their deep commitment, to having a choice to become a parent or not. Their work helped create the foundation for many of the ways we continue to seek change for our community today. We will also be joined by LeNora Faye and Cody Hetzel, the co-founders of Childfree Media, and the co-moderators of the Childfree Convention, which was held for the 3rd year, this past weekend.You will not want to miss what these dynamic childfree guests have to share and exchange, from experiences and perspectives over the past 50 years, to their insight on what is most needed now, for our collective community to be recognized in equal and equitable ways, and beyond.
On this episode of New Legacy Radio, we will be joined by Dr. Jane van Dis. Dr. van Dis is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Rochester and lectures internationally on the intersection of the climate crisis and women's maternal health.Dr. van Dis will share her breadth of knowledge and experience, including the climate crisis and the carbon footprint of medicine, the presence and impact of microplastics, and ecological and population overshoot.We will discuss the current state and impact of national and global crises, the changes required to disrupt these exponential realities, and why dismantling patriarchy is imperative for urgent, forward movement toward resolving the climate crisis.Tune in live to learn more!
Today, on New Legacy Radio, we are honored to be joined by Dr. Adaira Landry and Dr. Resa E. Lewiss, authors of the recently released book, MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact. Dr. Landry and Dr. Lewiss bring a fresh approach to navigating career and workplace stress and share their experiences as emergency medicine physicians. MicroSkills offers a clear, guiding framework of how to take small, intentional steps toward the expertise or career you want to develop, and how to increase self-care to reduce overwhelm and prevent burnout, in the process.Workplace burnout continues to have an increasing and pervasively adverse impact on people around the globe. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared burnout to be an occupational phenomenon and further defined it as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress.Workplace burnout rates vary by occupation and role and can be exacerbated by diverse life circumstances and organizational culture. One concerning example of the depth and prevalence of chronic occupational stress in the medical field. According to Medscape's 2024 physician burnout and depression report, almost half of physicians reported experiencing burnout in 2024. The highest rate of burnout was in emergency medicine (63%).The report was based on a Mercer survey taken by 9,200 physicians of different ages across 29-plus specialties. According to the survey data, specialties with the highest rates of burnout after emergency medicine include OB-GYN (53%), oncology (53%), pediatrics (51%) and family medicine (51%).What does this mean for the culture and business of work, individual practitioners, and employees going forward? How can we best navigate this today? Tune in live to learn how to immediately and effectively use MicroSkills for personal and professional self-care!
Tune in to New Legacy Radio today, and learn about the establishment of Single Studies as a global discipline, with today's guest, Dr. Craig Wynne. Dr. Wynne is the co-editor of the recently released, Singular Selves: An Introduction to Singles Studies. He also wrote the book How to be a Happy Bachelor and has published a number of articles on singlehood.As often discussed on this show, we recognize the ways pronatalism impacts individual reproductive and relationship experiences, amidst status quo thinking and assumptions, and biases experienced by those without children, and those who are unmarried, uncoupled, in diverse relationship structures, and those who are single. Singlism, a term coined by Dr. Bella DePaulo, defines the stigmatizing and negative stereotyping of and discrimination against adults, specifically because they are single. Dr. Wynne will speak to this, and a range of terminology reflecting individual and collective experiences of singlehood. He will also address the why of an intersectional, interdisciplinary global approach to Single Studies, as we consider the questions: How do we best examine the ways systemic, social, and media perspectives have influenced the understanding of singlehood? How can we change the impact of these influences on those who are single, and center the lived experiences of singlehood for greater social change? Join us for this and much more in today's show!
The emergence of Single Studies as a discipline is both a welcome advancement in education and research and an acknowledgment of the millions of circumstantially single people and those who are single by choice. The ever-present and growing demographic of single people has long been subjected to a lack of understanding and pronatalist-driven, status-quo social stigmatization and discrimination through exclusion from equal rights and public policy considerations. This has led to inequitable and adverse social, economic, and political outcomes and unmeasured impact on single people.Joining the show today to discuss these matters and more, are Dr. Geoff MacDonald, Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, and Dr. Elyakim, senior lecturer in the School of Public Policy and Governance at the Hebrew University, specializing in relationships, technology, loneliness, and singles studies.We will also share details of the 3rd International Singles Studies Conference, which will be held in person in Boston and virtually via Zoom on July 5, 2024, which they co-chair with Dr. Ketaki Chowkhani.Tune in to this in-depth conversation to learn more about the work of Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Kislev, and the upcoming conference!
The emergence of Single Studies as a discipline is both a welcome advancement in education and research and an acknowledgment of the millions of circumstantially single people and those who are single by choice. The ever-present and growing demographic of single people has long been subjected to a lack of understanding and pronatalist-driven, status-quo social stigmatization and discrimination through exclusion from equal rights and public policy considerations. This has led to inequitable and adverse social, economic, and political outcomes and unmeasured impact on single people.Joining the show today to discuss these matters and more, are Dr. Geoff MacDonald, Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, and Dr. Elyakim, senior lecturer in the School of Public Policy and Governance at the Hebrew University, specializing in relationships, technology, loneliness, and singles studies.We will also share details of the 3rd International Singles Studies Conference, which will be held in person in Boston and virtually via Zoom on July 5, 2024, which they co-chair with Dr. Ketaki Chowkhani.Tune in to this in-depth conversation to learn more about the work of Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Kislev, and the upcoming conference!
People who are single and without children, comprise a growing, global demographic, and yet, these lived experiences remain largely unacknowledged vis-a-via the status quo. There is also a common tendency to perceive the emergence of single people without children, as being very recent. This perspective both eclipses historical literature depicting the lives and voices of single women, and furthers the invisibility of every day discrimination and inequity, based on reproductive identity and relationship status. What can we learn from these cultural narratives and the historic contexts in which they were written? Today, we are honored to be in conversation with Dr. Katherine Fama, who will share her in-depth work and perspectives on the historical narratives of single women in literature, and how these narratives relate and inform us today. Dr. Fama is the coeditor of Single Lives: Modern Women in Literature, Culture, and Film, and teaches in the School of English, Film, and Drama at University College Dublin. Tune in to learn more!
On this episode of New Legacy Radio, we will be joined by Dr. Jane van Dis. Dr. van Dis is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Rochester and lectures internationally on the intersection of the climate crisis and women's maternal health.Dr. van Dis will share her breadth of knowledge and experience, including the climate crisis and the carbon footprint of medicine, the presence and impact of microplastics, and ecological and population overshoot.We will discuss the current state and impact of national and global crises, the changes required to disrupt these exponential realities, and why dismantling patriarchy is imperative for urgent, forward movement toward resolving the climate crisis.Tune in live to learn more!
In today’s episode we will discuss the research initiatives of Kim Martinez Phillips, who is a PHD Candidate in Sociology. She is studying cultural representations of single women in film, and is currently interviewing single, never-married, childfree women of color, for her dissertation research. We welcome her representational insight and the valued experiences of interviewees. We will also touch on her recent research around the portrayal of single women in film.The vast, collective community of people without children includes all cultures, colors, genders, disabilities, neurodiversity, sexual preferences, languages, and geography. We are an integrally diverse community.As such, our work must reflect and continually evolve to center the layered and intersectional experiences and voices of our community; voices that counter and transcend the status quo, cultural, structural and systemic patterns of marginalization and exclusion.New Legacy Institute supports research and other expressions of narratives by those who have experienced the stories within these perspectives. We are grateful for and looking forward to learning more from the work of Kim Martinez Phillips, at this initial stage, and as it develops.
Today, on New Legacy Radio, we are honored to be joined by Dr. Adaira Landry and Dr. Resa E. Lewiss, authors of the recently released book, MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact. Dr. Landry and Dr. Lewiss bring a fresh approach to navigating career and workplace stress and share their experiences as emergency medicine physicians. MicroSkills offers a clear, guiding framework of how to take small, intentional steps toward the expertise or career you want to develop, and how to increase self-care to reduce overwhelm and prevent burnout, in the process.Workplace burnout continues to have an increasing and pervasively adverse impact on people around the globe. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared burnout to be an occupational phenomenon and further defined it as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress.Workplace burnout rates vary by occupation and role and can be exacerbated by diverse life circumstances and organizational culture. One concerning example of the depth and prevalence of chronic occupational stress in the medical field. According to Medscape's 2024 physician burnout and depression report, almost half of physicians reported experiencing burnout in 2024. The highest rate of burnout was in emergency medicine (63%).The report was based on a Mercer survey taken by 9,200 physicians of different ages across 29-plus specialties. According to the survey data, specialties with the highest rates of burnout after emergency medicine include OB-GYN (53%), oncology (53%), pediatrics (51%) and family medicine (51%).What does this mean for the culture and business of work, individual practitioners, and employees going forward? How can we best navigate this today? Tune in live to learn how to immediately and effectively use MicroSkills for personal and professional self-care!
In today's episode, we will discuss the globalization and evolution of Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). We will also address the social implications of reproductive technologies.We are honored to have Dr. Marcia C. Inhron here to share insight and expertise based on her decades-long focus on infertility and ARTs. Dr. Inhorn is a medical anthropologist specializing in gender, religion, and reproductive health issues, and the William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs at Yale University. Dr. Inhron will discuss her work in the Middle East Region, and Arab America, including male infertility, and her most recent findings on egg-freezing and social infertility. Join us for this in-depth conversation to learn more!
In previous episodes, we have addressed the rise of pronatalist extremism and the potential threats posed and faced by people without children, globally. This extremism is an integral part of the ideology driven by white supremacy and fueled right-wing conspiracies, and relates directly to the focus of our show today.In this episode we are honored to have Julie Farnam as our guest. Julie is the author of the newly released book, Domestic Darkness: An Insider's Account of the January 6 Insurrection and the Future of Right-Wing Extremism. In her book, she shares her personal and expert account of the January 6 Insurrection, which happed at the US Capitol building in 2021. She will share key insight into this tragic and terrifying attack, and in our conversation, we will navigate the actions preceding this violent attack, and what actually led to this unprecedented security breach, while assessing what must be done now to ensure our future security. We will also delve into the challenging realities of how white supremacy has remained an agile predator of vulnerable individuals falling prey to right-wing ideology in rising numbers, to comprise the greatest threat to domestic security today.Tune in live for this crucial conversation with Julie Farnam to learn more about the impact of domestic extremism in the United States, and what this means for all of us.
People who are single and without children, comprise a growing, global demographic, and yet, these lived experiences remain largely unacknowledged vis-a-via the status quo. There is also a common tendency to perceive the emergence of single people without children, as being very recent. This perspective both eclipses historical literature depicting the lives and voices of single women, and furthers the invisibility of every day discrimination and inequity, based on reproductive identity and relationship status. What can we learn from these cultural narratives and the historic contexts in which they were written? Today, we are honored to be in conversation with Dr. Katherine Fama, who will share her in-depth work and perspectives on the historical narratives of single women in literature, and how these narratives relate and inform us today. Dr. Fama is the coeditor of Single Lives: Modern Women in Literature, Culture, and Film, and teaches in the School of English, Film, and Drama at University College Dublin. Tune in to learn more!
In this episode, we will discuss how to implement authentic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. What is required to move from the intentions toward racial equity and with DEI initiatives to actualize meaningful impact? We are honored to have Malia Lazu as our guest, to address this question, and much more. Ms. Lazu is a tenured strategist in diversity inclusion, and author of From Intention to Impact: A Practical Guide to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (MIT Press, February 2024). Ms. Lazu will share key insight, including her framework and process for moving from intention to impact, and how to move beyond transactional initiatives, to authentic, transformative racial equity, within the workplace. She will also address some of the key barriers faced by companies, which limit the potential impact of DEI work. Ms.Lazu will outline the stages DEI implementation and how to optimize this process to navigate beyond intentions, share ways to build belonging with communities, and the importance of creating Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and internal equity goals. Tune in live to learn more about what this means for our community, and beyond!
Tune in to the first episode in our new series, Menopause in Focus. In this series, we will discuss the range of menopausal onset and experiences, at different life stages, the missing and missed conversations prior to menopause, and the emerging awareness of the menopause in the workplace, and beyond. We will also delve into postmenopausal experiences, aging, and advocacy, which shares the lived experiences and impact of the symptoms and stages of menopause.We are grateful to have this conversation on the embodied experience of postmenopause, with the vibrant Stella Duffy. Stella is a psychotherapist, currently completing a doctorate in Existential Psychotherapy. Stella has been postmenopausal since chemotherapy for her first cancer in her mid-30s, and has a special interest in life after menopause, as a conversation sadly lacking in the prevalent current discourse. Join us for this in-depth conversation with Stella. She will share her personal and professional experiences, in meaningful and thought-provoking ways, reflective of her vast, diverse background and profound creativity.
In today's episode, we will discuss the globalization and evolution of Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). We will also address the social implications of reproductive technologies.We are honored to have Dr. Marcia C. Inhron here to share insight and expertise based on her decades-long focus on infertility and ARTs. Dr. Inhorn is a medical anthropologist specializing in gender, religion, and reproductive health issues, and the William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs at Yale University. Dr. Inhron will discuss her work in the Middle East Region, and Arab America, including male infertility, and her most recent findings on egg-freezing and social infertility. Join us for this in-depth conversation to learn more!
In this episode, we will discuss how to implement authentic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. What is required to move from the intentions toward racial equity and with DEI initiatives to actualize meaningful impact? We are honored to have Malia Lazu as our guest, to address this question, and much more. Ms. Lazu is a tenured strategist in diversity inclusion, and author of From Intention to Impact: A Practical Guide to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (MIT Press, February 2024). Ms. Lazu will share key insight, including her framework and process for moving from intention to impact, and how to move beyond transactional initiatives, to authentic, transformative racial equity, within the workplace. She will also address some of the key barriers faced by companies, which limit the potential impact of DEI work. Ms.Lazu will outline the stages DEI implementation and how to optimize this process to navigate beyond intentions, share ways to build belonging with communities, and the importance of creating Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and internal equity goals. Tune in live to learn more about what this means for our community, and beyond!
Tune in to the first episode in our new series, Menopause in Focus. In this series, we will discuss the range of menopausal onset and experiences, at different life stages, the missing and missed conversations prior to menopause, and the emerging awareness of the menopause in the workplace, and beyond. We will also delve into postmenopausal experiences, aging, and advocacy, which shares the lived experiences and impact of the symptoms and stages of menopause.We are grateful to have this conversation on the embodied experience of postmenopause, with the vibrant Stella Duffy. Stella is a psychotherapist, currently completing a doctorate in Existential Psychotherapy. Stella has been postmenopausal since chemotherapy for her first cancer in her mid-30s, and has a special interest in life after menopause, as a conversation sadly lacking in the prevalent current discourse. Join us for this in-depth conversation with Stella. She will share her personal and professional experiences, in meaningful and thought-provoking ways, reflective of her vast, diverse background and profound creativity.
Whether it is your own experience, or that of someone you know, the dismissal of symptoms, minimization of pain, failure to diagnose or incorrect diagnoses, and other medical oversight have caused often irreparable physical issues, and prolonged pain and symptoms, in the gynecological world.The high incidents and often life-long impact of medical care, absent of patient autonomy, remains prevalent with respect to gynecological disorders, and continues to impact more lives, every day.How do we raise awareness of these realities, experienced by so many? How do we further educate ourselves, and hold the field of gynecology accountable, while inviting respect for patient autonomy, and compassionate care?Joining us today, is Rachael Jablo, creator of The Hysteria Project. Rachael is a chronically ill, queer, Jewish, Berlin-based US-American artist who works with photography, installation, collage and occasionally performance. Through The Hysteria Project, Rachael honors and visual recognizes the personal narratives of those living with and who have experienced gynecological disorders. Tune in live, to learn more about her powerful work, and what you can do today to learn more about these real life matters.
People who are single and without children, comprise a growing, global demographic, and yet, these lived experiences remain largely unacknowledged vis-a-via the status quo. There is also a common tendency to perceive the emergence of single people without children, as being very recent. This perspective both eclipses historical literature depicting the lives and voices of single women, and furthers the invisibility of every day discrimination and inequity, based on reproductive identity and relationship status. What can we learn from these cultural narratives and the historic contexts in which they were written? Today, we are honored to be in conversation with Dr. Katherine Fama, who will share her in-depth work and perspectives on the historical narratives of single women in literature, and how these narratives relate and inform us today. Dr. Fama is the coeditor of Single Lives: Modern Women in Literature, Culture, and Film, and teaches in the School of English, Film, and Drama at University College Dublin. Tune in to learn more!
Around the world, there is a growing number of single people, without children, who are largely unacknowledged politically, and continue to experience social and policy exclusion. Today, we will be in conversation with Donna Ward, who is a leading advocate and activist for single women without children, in Australia, and globally. Donna is a celebrated author and former publisher, and her previous careers include being a psychotherapist and a social worker working in welfare management and social policy development. Her depth and breadth of experience lends significantly to her political action and policy advocacy.Tune in to learn more about Donna's experience as a single woman without children, and what led her to the work she is doing today!
Despite the deeply personal nature of our reproductive experiences, women in particular, continue to face external restrictions, limiting or erasing our rights to bodily autonomy. For women without children, there is further backlash, ranging from a lack of social acceptance to outright harassment on social media, and misrepresentation and a lack of true narratives in the media, to having our very lives and the terminology we use to identify our experiences, made illegal.Today we will be joined by our guest, Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos, who is an award-winning journalist, researcher and truth-teller about the realities and the aftermath of ART assisted reproductive technology. She is also an award-winning author and the co-founder of the grassroots initiative ReproTechTruths.org. We will discuss what it means for our personal journeys to be political, and what is mean to be responsive to what is happening in this context. From pronatalist propaganda and fertility decline, to the reproductive technologies industry, our community has become the target of human-centric, and perpetual economic growth narratives. Join is for this in-depth conversation, and learn more about what you can do now, to respond to the current environment for people without children.
How can organizations and human resource practitioners view employee life-work experiences, across the life-course? What new considerations might emerge through more dynamic frameworks that include the changing needs of employees throughout their work lives? For decades, research on Human Resources Management (HRM) frameworks has largely reflected approaches driven by the presumption of employee needs and experiences, based on status quo expectations. Workplace policies designed from these assumptions constitute employee privilege based on marital and parental status, and the unequal, inequitable treatment of historically marginalized groups. The emergence of EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion)/DEIBAJ+ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, Access, Justice & Beyond) frameworks has heightened awareness, and encouraged organizations to adopt more inclusive approaches to HR policy and organizational culture. However, HR perspectives most often do not take into account the needs of employees who live outside of status quo identities, whether at different life stages (as traditionally/socially presumed), or permanently. Our guests today will offer listeners in-depth perspectives around the need for and impact of multi-disciplinary HRM frameworks, which span the life-course. We will be in conversation with Dr. Krystal Wilkinson, co-editor of the 2024 book: 'Work-Life Inclusion: Broadening Perspectives Across the Life-Course' (Emerald Publishing), and Dr. Robin Hadley, who contributed to the book, and addresses the experiences of childless men in the workplace. We'll discuss the importance of these expanding perspectives for HR practitioners, the challenges of and possibilities for creating an inclusive workplace, and specific considerations for lesser acknowledged work-life realities. Tune in live to learn more!
Infertility affects approximately 17.5% of the adult population, or roughly 1 in 6 people globally, according to the World Health Organization. The global assisted reproductive technology (ART) market size was $21.32 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach $45.06 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 9.8%.On today's episode we will explore the complex and personal impact of infertility and reproductive technology, what this all means for the lives behind these statistics. What can be learned from the stories of those who have experienced infertility trauma and other adverse mental health effects? How have survivors found pathways toward healing?Tune in live, as we have the honor of being in conversation with today's guest, award winning filmmaker Irina Vodar, just ahead of the North American premier of her documentary film, Anything You Lose. The film delves into the reproductive industry, and follows Irina on her personal, seven-year journey. Her film is a story of hope and resilience, chronicling the impact of reproductive treatments, such as addiction, shame, isolation, and silence.
In this episode, we will discuss how to implement authentic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. What is required to move from the intentions toward racial equity and with DEI initiatives to actualize meaningful impact? We are honored to have Malia Lazu as our guest, to address this question, and much more. Ms. Lazu is a tenured strategist in diversity inclusion, and author of From Intention to Impact: A Practical Guide to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (MIT Press, February 2024). Ms. Lazu will share key insight, including her framework and process for moving from intention to impact, and how to move beyond transactional initiatives, to authentic, transformative racial equity, within the workplace. She will also address some of the key barriers faced by companies, which limit the potential impact of DEI work. Ms.Lazu will outline the stages DEI implementation and how to optimize this process to navigate beyond intentions, share ways to build belonging with communities, and the importance of creating Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and internal equity goals. Tune in live to learn more about what this means for our community, and beyond!
People who are single and without children, comprise a growing, global demographic, and yet, these lived experiences remain largely unacknowledged vis-a-via the status quo. There is also a common tendency to perceive the emergence of single people without children, as being very recent. This perspective both eclipses historical literature depicting the lives and voices of single women, and furthers the invisibility of every day discrimination and inequity, based on reproductive identity and relationship status. What can we learn from these cultural narratives and the historic contexts in which they were written? Today, we are honored to be in conversation with Dr. Katherine Fama, who will share her in-depth work and perspectives on the historical narratives of single women in literature, and how these narratives relate and inform us today. Dr. Fama is the coeditor of Single Lives: Modern Women in Literature, Culture, and Film, and teaches in the School of English, Film, and Drama at University College Dublin. Tune in to learn more!
What role does workplace culture play in the ways we are acknowledged or not and valued and not, socially and professionally? Amidst all of the initiatives around workplace equality and equity, people without children are still largely missing from this consciousness and from the conversations about what impacts us most, on day to day basis, and long term.What is the consequence of working in a company that designs pay structures & benefits, to favor people based on their marital status, family structure, and whether to not they have children? Employees who are married and have children have long been the beneficiaries of pronatalism. Their status and value in the work place, has continued to be elevated, often accompanied by an invisible cloak of credibility, unlike their colleagues and peers who are single, unmarried, and do not have children.Isn't it time we begin to envision a workplace beyond inequality & inequity? Joining us today is Dr. Erin Conner, who is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Inclusion Design Group, a leading DEI firm. Tune in to learn more from her experience and expert insight on issues impacting our community!
Tune in to the first episode in our new series, Menopause in Focus. In this series, we will discuss the range of menopausal onset and experiences, at different life stages, the missing and missed conversations prior to menopause, and the emerging awareness of the menopause in the workplace, and beyond. We will also delve into postmenopausal experiences, aging, and advocacy, which shares the lived experiences and impact of the symptoms and stages of menopause.We are grateful to have this conversation on the embodied experience of postmenopause, with the vibrant Stella Duffy. Stella is a psychotherapist, currently completing a doctorate in Existential Psychotherapy. Stella has been postmenopausal since chemotherapy for her first cancer in her mid-30s, and has a special interest in life after menopause, as a conversation sadly lacking in the prevalent current discourse. Join us for this in-depth conversation with Stella. She will share her personal and professional experiences, in meaningful and thought-provoking ways, reflective of her vast, diverse background and profound creativity.
In previous episodes, we have addressed the rise of pronatalist extremism and the potential threats posed and faced by people without children, globally. This extremism is an integral part of the ideology driven by white supremacy and fueled right-wing conspiracies, and relates directly to the focus of our show today.In this episode we are honored to have Julie Farnam as our guest. Julie is the author of the newly released book, Domestic Darkness: An Insider's Account of the January 6 Insurrection and the Future of Right-Wing Extremism. In her book, she shares her personal and expert account of the January 6 Insurrection, which happed at the US Capitol building in 2021. She will share key insight into this tragic and terrifying attack, and in our conversation, we will navigate the actions preceding this violent attack, and what actually led to this unprecedented security breach, while assessing what must be done now to ensure our future security. We will also delve into the challenging realities of how white supremacy has remained an agile predator of vulnerable individuals falling prey to right-wing ideology in rising numbers, to comprise the greatest threat to domestic security today.Tune in live for this crucial conversation with Julie Farnam to learn more about the impact of domestic extremism in the United States, and what this means for all of us.
Tune in live for the first episode in this quarterly series by the founder of New Legacy Institute, and the host of New Legacy Radio, Christine J. Erickson. Throughout this series, Christine will discuss current events impacting our community, the purpose and role of New Legacy Institute and the ongoing work of the Institute.She will share some of the key reasons why she started the Institute, and the role we all can play to effect change that impacts us, solely based on our reproductive and relationship experiences, as legally and otherwise defined, which directly discriminate against us. Christine will also share her thoughts on people without children as a collective community, and her vision of what she believes is possible. Amidst all of the work that is to be done to take action for social, economic and political change for our community, there is also much to celebrate, given our diverse journeys, and the breadth and depth of talent, contributions and life experience we possess.Christine deeply values and celebrates who we are as people without children, and believes it is time for us to come together to build and elevate our community's public power and for our experiences and expertise to be in integral part of influencing decision-making processes, policy development, workplace benefits, and legal protections, among others, which directly impact our daily lives, and beyond. Tune into NLR today, and share your questions and comments after the show via email to: Radio@NewLegacyInstitute.com, post to or message NLI directly via any of our social media platforms.
Tune in to New Legacy Radio today, and learn about the establishment of Single Studies as a global discipline, with today's guest, Dr. Craig Wynne. Dr. Wynne is the co-editor of the recently released, Singular Selves: An Introduction to Singles Studies. He also wrote the book How to be a Happy Bachelor and has published a number of articles on singlehood.As often discussed on this show, we recognize the ways pronatalism impacts individual reproductive and relationship experiences, amidst status quo thinking and assumptions, and biases experienced by those without children, and those who are unmarried, uncoupled, in diverse relationship structures, and those who are single. Singlism, a term coined by Dr. Bella DePaulo, defines the stigmatizing and negative stereotyping of and discrimination against adults, specifically because they are single. Dr. Wynne will speak to this, and a range of terminology reflecting individual and collective experiences of singlehood. He will also address the why of an intersectional, interdisciplinary global approach to Single Studies, as we consider the questions: How do we best examine the ways systemic, social, and media perspectives have influenced the understanding of singlehood? How can we change the impact of these influences on those who are single, and center the lived experiences of singlehood for greater social change? Join us for this and much more in today's show!
Around the world, there is a growing number of single people, without children, who are largely unacknowledged politically, and continue to experience social and policy exclusion. Today, we will be in conversation with Donna Ward, who is a leading advocate and activist for single women without children, in Australia, and globally. Donna is a celebrated author and former publisher, and her previous careers include being a psychotherapist and a social worker working in welfare management and social policy development. Her depth and breadth of experience lends significantly to her political action and policy advocacy.Tune in to learn more about Donna's experience as a single woman without children, and what led her to the work she is doing today!
In this episode we are going to address some prevalent social stereotypes most often, projected onto people without children, in general, and specifically from the perspective of Kimberly Martinez Phillips, who is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Sociology Department at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her research and dissertation are focused on single, never-married, childfree women of color. Many of the women interviewed are childfree, but that does not mean their lives are carefree. Her analysis utilizes the perspectives of feminist standpoint theory and decolonial feminism through an intersectional lens.In alignment with many of the key focus areas of New Legacy Institute, we will discuss the many presumptions of a childfree life being equated to a carefree or responsibility free life. We will delve into the expectations and realities of people without children becoming caretakers for parents or other family members, and the social and economic realities of being single and not having children. We will also address the gross misconceptions that human characteristics such as being nurturing and having empathy, among others, are exclusive trait of mothers and parents.Join us live for this conversation addressing some of the poignant issues for our community, and for the opportunity to learn from the rich dissertation research outcomes Kimberly Martinez Phillips will share with us in this special follow up episode.
Tune in for the first episode in New Legacy Radio's History series! People without children have always existed, and as our demographic grows, it is important to see ourselves reflected throughout history, and to recognize the valued lives and contributions of those who never had children. As our community becomes more visible, thanks to activists, writers, filmmakers, and others, we have an opportunity to celebrate the lives and influences of our community, past and present. On today's show, we will also celebrate the publication of Laura Carroll's new book, A Special Sisterhood: 100 Fascinating Women From History Who Never Had Children, which is out today! This brilliant book includes brief narratives and illustrations of women from history, who never had children, including a profile from 350 AD!Join us as we delve into the meaningful impact these women have had in the world, who share a bond of not becoming mothers, in their life journeys. We will also discuss current challenges and opportunities for women and our collective community to come together in new ways, inclusive of all the ways we have experienced this life path, and why this matters now.
Despite the deeply personal nature of our reproductive experiences, women in particular, continue to face external restrictions, limiting or erasing our rights to bodily autonomy. For women without children, there is further backlash, ranging from a lack of social acceptance to outright harassment on social media, and misrepresentation and a lack of true narratives in the media, to having our very lives and the terminology we use to identify our experiences, made illegal.Today we will be joined by our guest, Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos, who is an award-winning journalist, researcher and truth-teller about the realities and the aftermath of ART assisted reproductive technology. She is also an award-winning author and the co-founder of the grassroots initiative ReproTechTruths.org. We will discuss what it means for our personal journeys to be political, and what is mean to be responsive to what is happening in this context. From pronatalist propaganda and fertility decline, to the reproductive technologies industry, our community has become the target of human-centric, and perpetual economic growth narratives. Join is for this in-depth conversation, and learn more about what you can do now, to respond to the current environment for people without children.
In this episode we are going to address some prevalent social stereotypes most often, projected onto people without children, in general, and specifically from the perspective of Kimberly Martinez Phillips, who is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Sociology Department at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her research and dissertation are focused on single, never-married, childfree women of color. Many of the women interviewed are childfree, but that does not mean their lives are carefree. Her analysis utilizes the perspectives of feminist standpoint theory and decolonial feminism through an intersectional lens.In alignment with many of the key focus areas of New Legacy Institute, we will discuss the many presumptions of a childfree life being equated to a carefree or responsibility free life. We will delve into the expectations and realities of people without children becoming caretakers for parents or other family members, and the social and economic realities of being single and not having children. We will also address the gross misconceptions that human characteristics such as being nurturing and having empathy, among others, are exclusive trait of mothers and parents.Join us live for this conversation addressing some of the poignant issues for our community, and for the opportunity to learn from the rich dissertation research outcomes Kimberly Martinez Phillips will share with us in this special follow up episode.
In today’s episode we will celebrate women without children, who often remain overlooked against the backdrop of pronatalism, with respect to their talents, contributions and impact.We are fortunate to have with us two very talented writers, who are working to ensure that women without children are recognized in literature and throughout history. The collections, research and profiles expressed through their work, hold a significant and respected place in our community.Join us in conversation with Nicole Louie, who is a writer, translator, and content curator, and Emma Duval, writer, independent researcher, and the founder of the Childfree History Museum, the first virtual museum dedicated to the history of women without children.Through their guidance and knowledge, New Legacy Radio listeners and readers will discover and learn more about the extraordinary women, whose talents, influence and impact, pronatalism could not eclipse. As we recognize and celebrate these women, we honor all women without children, past and present, and look to the future possibilities of our collective power and creativity.
Despite the deeply personal nature of our reproductive experiences, women in particular, continue to face external restrictions, limiting or erasing our rights to bodily autonomy. For women without children, there is further backlash, ranging from a lack of social acceptance to outright harassment on social media, and misrepresentation and a lack of true narratives in the media, to having our very lives and the terminology we use to identify our experiences, made illegal.Today we will be joined by our guest, Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos, who is an award-winning journalist, researcher and truth-teller about the realities and the aftermath of ART assisted reproductive technology. She is also an award-winning author and the co-founder of the grassroots initiative ReproTechTruths.org. We will discuss what it means for our personal journeys to be political, and what is mean to be responsive to what is happening in this context. From pronatalist propaganda and fertility decline, to the reproductive technologies industry, our community has become the target of human-centric, and perpetual economic growth narratives. Join is for this in-depth conversation, and learn more about what you can do now, to respond to the current environment for people without children.
What are the current implications of pronatalism for people without children, collectively and globally? How do extremist actors influence pronatalist agendas, reproductive rights and what is the social impact on our community?In today’s episode we will focus on some of the current and urgent realities facing us, and the importance of our informed awareness and response to these issues. Joining us are Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director of Population Balance, and TTherese Shechter, director of the documentary My So-Called Selfish Life and founder of Trixie Films, to discuss the immediate and long term implications of pronatalist extremism for our community.Tune in to learn more about the ways pronatalist propaganda has weaponized fertility decline, in an effort to control reproductive choice and healthcare, and how the childless community specifically, is being targeted in the pronatalist agenda.
In this episode, we will examine the presence of pronatalist influences throughout the mental health profession, from leadership and institutions to research and training. Within these critical roles and educational spaces, the mental health profession largely obscures the lived experiences of people without children. Given these influences, what is the impact on people without children, both as clients and practitioners in mental health? To help us navigate this conversation about what is needed to create greater inclusion and understanding of the needs of people without children, we will be joined by Katie Maynard. Katie is an experienced licensed Clinical Social Worker, who is advancing innovative and meaningful change in the mental health space, through her work with clinicians, to expand their competency with therapy that is affirmative of childless and childfree people. Join us for this relevant, insightful conversation!
In this episode, we will examine the presence of pronatalist influences throughout the mental health profession, from leadership and institutions to research and training. Within these critical roles and educational spaces, the mental health profession largely obscures the lived experiences of people without children. Given these influences, what is the impact on people without children, both as clients and practitioners in mental health? To help us navigate this conversation about what is needed to create greater inclusion and understanding of the needs of people without children, we will be joined by Katie Maynard. Katie is an experienced licensed Clinical Social Worker, who is advancing innovative and meaningful change in the mental health space, through her work with clinicians, to expand their competency with therapy that is affirmative of childless and childfree people. Join us for this relevant, insightful conversation!
The Dobbs decision in the United States has created ripple effects of grave consequences for access to abortion, and beyond.What was is like before the Roe v. Wade decision, and what are the current realities?How do the expectations and experiences around access to abortion differ from generation to generation?State laws which prohibit access to abortion, impact all people who can get pregnant, and exponentially impact women. What can we truly say of the status of women in the US today?Joining us to discuss these issues is Karen Mulhauser, the first National Director for the National Abortion Rights Action (NARAL), in Washington, DC, and Himaja Nagireddy, who is the current UNA-USA Youth Observer to the UN.Please join us for this in-depth conversation and commit to ensuring your vote makes a difference on November 8th!
In today’s episode, we will discuss the history of the IVF industry, and its latest strategies for expanding its market reach and services. This 44-year-old for-profit industry is estimated to reach to $37 billion dollars globally by 2027. It has done a masterful job positioning itself as a ‘cure’ for infertility and, more recently, selling the ‘promise’ of future family through egg freezing and other third-party services. The hope sale is central to its business model. Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos has fought for the last decade+ to raise the visibility of those who have been negatively impacted by what she calls “the industry’s saccharine siren song.” She’s educated and brought much needed attention to the prevalent failure rates and health risks that accompany IVF and egg freezing as well as to the heavy personal toll when the reality doesn’t match the marketing.Here in the U.S., this industry is predominantly self-regulated. Without external oversight, clinics routinely market their reproductive services solely to the upside of the IVF process. Their websites and materials are filled with curated success stories. We will explore what is not being said, in our discussion today.There is also a concerning trend among larger companies to encourage the use of ‘fertility’ services, targeting young, presumably healthy females, through services such as egg freezing. This is offered under the guise of creating a solution for women to delay having a child or children, in order to remain fully employed. This also allows for some employers to dismiss more immediate workplace needs for parents, such as paid parental leave and childcare, while also dismissing the potential medical consequences and mental health impacts on women.In 2019, when Goldman Sachs, began offering a $10,000 stipend for egg retrieval and a $20,000 stipend for egg ‘donation’, they also began offering 26 weeks of paid parental leave regardless of gender, caregiver status or method of parenthood (birth, adoption, surrogacy). While companies are offering much needed, extended parental leave policies and unvetted, one could argue, predatory fertility services subsidies, these pronatal efforts still fail to recognize or reward employees without children. The $10-20k benefit, in addition to parental leave, is hardly an equitable proposition for those unable or uninterested in having children. Companies must begin to engage benefits for all employees, regardless of parental or family status, from equitable subsidies to universal paid leave, regardless of reason.Join us for a highly informative discussion, to learn more about the reproductive services industry, and in recognition of survivors.
Infertility affects approximately 17.5% of the adult population, or roughly 1 in 6 people globally, according to the World Health Organization. The global assisted reproductive technology (ART) market size was $21.32 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach $45.06 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 9.8%.On today's episode we will explore the complex and personal impact of infertility and reproductive technology, what this all means for the lives behind these statistics. What can be learned from the stories of those who have experienced infertility trauma and other adverse mental health effects? How have survivors found pathways toward healing?Tune in live, as we have the honor of being in conversation with today's guest, award winning filmmaker Irina Vodar, just ahead of the North American premier of her documentary film, Anything You Lose. The film delves into the reproductive industry, and follows Irina on her personal, seven-year journey. Her film is a story of hope and resilience, chronicling the impact of reproductive treatments, such as addiction, shame, isolation, and silence.
Today we celebrate International Childfree Day. In reflecting on what this day means for so many in our collective community, we also want to acknowledge the history and advocacy, behind the origins of this day, and the transition to becoming what it is today.The National Organization for Non-Parents (NON), later named the National Alliance for Optional Parenthood (NAOP), was founded in 1972 by Ellen Peck and Shirley Radl. NON first designated August 1st as Non-Parents' Day, in 1973.In 2013, Laura Carroll, childfree author and writer, lead the way in bringing back the acknowledgment and celebration of this day and date, as an annual “International Childfree Day. Laura guided these efforts for a decade, and this year, passed the torch to Childfree Media, which is co-founded by LeNora Faye and Cody Hetzel.Joining us today are Joan Eisenstodt and Marie Bernardy, who were active participants in NON/NAOP and played key roles in education and visibility on behalf of the organization. Their personal stories of reproductive experiences and choices, and the responses to their public advocacy work demonstrate their deep commitment, to having a choice to become a parent or not. Their work helped create the foundation for many of the ways we continue to seek change for our community today. We will also be joined by LeNora Faye and Cody Hetzel, the co-founders of Childfree Media, and the co-moderators of the Childfree Convention, which was held for the 3rd year, this past weekend.You will not want to miss what these dynamic childfree guests have to share and exchange, from experiences and perspectives over the past 50 years, to their insight on what is most needed now, for our collective community to be recognized in equal and equitable ways, and beyond.
What role does workplace culture play in the ways we are acknowledged or not and valued and not, socially and professionally? Amidst all of the initiatives around workplace equality and equity, people without children are still largely missing from this consciousness and from the conversations about what impacts us most, on day to day basis, and long term.What is the consequence of working in a company that designs pay structures & benefits, to favor people based on their marital status, family structure, and whether to not they have children? Employees who are married and have children have long been the beneficiaries of pronatalism. Their status and value in the work place, has continued to be elevated, often accompanied by an invisible cloak of credibility, unlike their colleagues and peers who are single, unmarried, and do not have children.Isn't it time we begin to envision a workplace beyond inequality & inequity? Joining us today is Dr. Erin Conner, who is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Inclusion Design Group, a leading DEI firm. Tune in to learn more from her experience and expert insight on issues impacting our community!
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.
What are the current implications of pronatalism for people without children, collectively and globally? How do extremist actors influence pronatalist agendas, reproductive rights and what is the social impact on our community?In today’s episode we will focus on some of the current and urgent realities facing us, and the importance of our informed awareness and response to these issues. Joining us are Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director of Population Balance, and TTherese Shechter, director of the documentary My So-Called Selfish Life and founder of Trixie Films, to discuss the immediate and long term implications of pronatalist extremism for our community.Tune in to learn more about the ways pronatalist propaganda has weaponized fertility decline, in an effort to control reproductive choice and healthcare, and how the childless community specifically, is being targeted in the pronatalist agenda.
Join us in conversation with Stephanie Joy Phillips, the founder of World Childless Week. We will discuss the highlights of this year's event, which will be held 11-17 September 2023, and how you can participate.
This will be the 7th year World Childless Week has taken place, and the event continues to evolve in content, and global participation. World Childless Week aims to raise awareness of the childless not by choice (cnbc) community and enable every childless person to share their story with confidence. It's for anyone who is childless despite their longing to be a parent because they have never been pregnant (for any reason), not carried full term or have suffered the sadness of a baby born sleeping.
Tune in as we delve into the personal impact of pronatalism, as it relates to childlessness. We will discuss the ways in which everyday and significant interactions, times and environments can serve to reignite and impact grief and healing, in ways that can challenge one's very identity in the world.
In today’s episode we will discuss the value of policy engagement for people without children, and why it matters for our community. We will look at the historical and current influences pronatalism has on social policy, workplace leave policies and benefits, and public policy.
We will also assess the ways in which pronatalist culture and policies impact the daily lives of people without children, and why we must organize for collective action now.
Joining us for this conversation will be New Legacy Advisors, Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director of Population Balance, Jody Day, who is an expert in female childlessness, and founder of Gateway Women; Dr. Robin Hadley, who is an expert and researcher on male childlessness, and Therese Shechter, who is a childfree filmmaker, and founder of Trixie Films!
Tune in to learn more about New Legacy Institute’s purpose in advocating for policy change, and creating a social justice platform for people without children. We will also share how our community and allies can become part of the change we envision for our community and beyond!
The conscientious journeys and decision-making processes by people who don’t have children, often remain unacknowledged stories and contributions. Further, as our community of people without children grows in separate directions, namely via the identities childless and childfree it must be acknowledged that these identities most often reflect only the end points of this continuum. So, who are we as a collective community? What do the not so tidy experiences of people without children whose paths were not a simple “yes” or “no” look like, and how might the melding and choosing of ‘childless’ and ‘childfree’ identification be more complex than it is generally expressed? Our guest today is award-winning filmmaker, Maxine Trump, In her film, “To Kid. Or Not to Kid”, Maxine shares her own journey on this continuum. Her film bravely plunges into an aspect of reproductive choice often misunderstood, mischaracterized, or considered too taboo to discuss. With rising public awareness about climate change, resource scarcity and global population, her film asks the question Why can't we talk about not having children?” Join us for this conversation as we navigate these questions and more!
People without children remain a largely invisible, excluded population, socially and economically. Despite the growth in the number of people without children, ranging from 20%-30% globally, statistics and policy consideration to meet the needs and realities of our community remain outside the mainstream. This is particularly true in academic research, social and economic planning, and policy development.
Today, we will be in conversation with Dr. Zachary Neal, an associate professor of psychology and global urban studies at Michigan State University, and Dr. Jennifer Watling Neal, a professor of psychology at Michigan State University. We will discuss their recently released research findings on childfree demographics and neighborhood satisfaction for those who do not have children. We will also assess some of the ways we can best create change on the basis of greater data-driven information, that reflects our community.
Today we celebrate International Childfree Day. In reflecting on what this day means for so many in our collective community, we also want to acknowledge the history and advocacy, behind the origins of this day, and the transition to becoming what it is today.
The National Organization for Non-Parents (NON), later named the National Alliance for Optional Parenthood (NAOP), was founded in 1972 by Ellen Peck and Shirley Radl. NON first designated August 1st as Non-Parents' Day, in 1973.
In 2013, Laura Carroll, childfree author and writer, lead the way in bringing back the acknowledgment and celebration of this day and date, as an annual “International Childfree Day. Laura guided these efforts for a decade, and this year, passed the torch to Childfree Media, which is co-founded by LeNora Faye and Cody Hetzel.
Joining us today are Joan Eisenstodt and Marie Bernardy, who were active participants in NON/NAOP and played key roles in education and visibility on behalf of the organization. Their personal stories of reproductive experiences and choices, and the responses to their public advocacy work demonstrate their deep commitment, to having a choice to become a parent or not. Their work helped create the foundation for many of the ways we continue to seek change for our community today.
We will also be joined by LeNora Faye and Cody Hetzel, the co-founders of Childfree Media, and the co-moderators of the Childfree Convention, which was held for the 3rd year, this past weekend.
You will not want to miss what these dynamic childfree guests have to share and exchange, from experiences and perspectives over the past 50 years, to their insight on what is most needed now, for our collective community to be recognized in equal and equitable ways, and beyond.
Join us in conversation with Stephanie Joy Phillips, the founder of World Childless Week. We will discuss the highlights of this year's event, which will be held 11-17 September 2023, and how you can participate.
This will be the 7th year World Childless Week has taken place, and the event continues to evolve in content, and global participation. World Childless Week aims to raise awareness of the childless not by choice (cnbc) community and enable every childless person to share their story with confidence. It's for anyone who is childless despite their longing to be a parent because they have never been pregnant (for any reason), not carried full term or have suffered the sadness of a baby born sleeping.
Tune in as we delve into the personal impact of pronatalism, as it relates to childlessness. We will discuss the ways in which everyday and significant interactions, times and environments can serve to reignite and impact grief and healing, in ways that can challenge one's very identity in the world.
LeNora Faye and Cody Hetzel are visible advocates for those who are childfree, through their individual public and private platforms, and their collective work and moderation of Childfree Convention. They are creators of content, conversation and connection that brings childfree people together, while engaging meaningful conversations for change.
Today, we will discuss their advocacy, collaborative work, and the diverse content and speakers comprising the ever-expanding Childfree Convention. The dates for this year’s Convention will be held on July 29th & 30th, just ahead of International Childfree Day.
International Childfree Day is observed annually on August 1st. This day was first recognized in 1973, but the National Alliance of Optional Parenthood, and the celebration of on this date was revived by Laura Carroll, in 2013. 2023 is the 50-year celebration of this day!
Join us to learn more about the importance of diverse childfree representation and how you can access and participate in this year’s virtual Childfree Convention!
We often discuss the personal aspects of pronatalism, both in the community of people without children and on this show. We also look at how we are impacted in our everyday environments, such as the workplace. What comes to mind when you consider the global impact of pronatalism?
In this episode, we will explore the greater dimensions of pronatalism, including social stigma, reproductive autonomy and responsibility, and ecological perspectives. We will also speak to population pressures and the importance of centering discourse around the impact of population.
To guide us in this conversation, we are excited to have Nandita Bajaj, the Executive Director of Population Balance with us today! Nandita brings a depth of knowledge, wisdom and compassion as an educator and leading voice on the realities and impact of pronatalism.
Please join us to learn more, and share any questions you may have with us, ahead of the show!
Today's episode will offer listeners a timely, often-missing conversation about one of the least considered perspectives in pronatalist narratives, as we delve into the multi-layered impact of pronatalism on children.
We will address current realities and future implications for the personal, social and systemic layers of the pronatalist agenda and resulting policies, for children. We will assess the reality of when children are centered and not, around the very meaning and value assigned to their lives and future possibilities.
We will also explore questions such as, What kind of parents would children choose? and Should we really all have children?
Our guest today is Kristen Tsetsi. She is the visionary author of the childfree-informed, post-Roe novel, The Age of the Child. Kristen uses her writing to explore and normalize the childfree choice, and brings a breadth and depth of perspective and insight to this discussion. Tune in live, to learn more!
Whether it is your own experience, or that of someone you know, the dismissal of symptoms, minimization of pain, failure to diagnose or incorrect diagnoses, and other medical oversight have caused often irreparable physical issues, and prolonged pain and symptoms, in the gynecological world.
The high incidents and often life-long impact of medical care, absent of patient autonomy, remains prevalent with respect to gynecological disorders, and continues to impact more lives, every day.
How do we raise awareness of these realities, experienced by so many? How do we further educate ourselves, and hold the field of gynecology accountable, while inviting respect for patient autonomy, and compassionate care?
Joining us today, is Rachael Jablo, creator of The Hysteria Project. Rachael is a chronically ill, queer, Jewish, Berlin-based US-American artist who works with photography, installation, collage and occasionally performance. Through The Hysteria Project, Rachael honors and visual recognizes the personal narratives of those living with and who have experienced gynecological disorders.
Tune in live, to learn more about her powerful work, and what you can do today to learn more about these real life matters.
In today’s episode we will celebrate women without children, who often remain overlooked against the backdrop of pronatalism, with respect to their talents, contributions and impact.
We are fortunate to have with us two very talented writers, who are working to ensure that women without children are recognized in literature and throughout history. The collections, research and profiles expressed through their work, hold a significant and respected place in our community.
Join us in conversation with Nicole Louie, who is a writer, translator, and content curator, and Emma Duval, writer, independent researcher, and the founder of the Childfree History Museum, the first virtual museum dedicated to the history of women without children.
Through their guidance and knowledge, New Legacy Radio listeners and readers will discover and learn more about the extraordinary women, whose talents, influence and impact, pronatalism could not eclipse.
As we recognize and celebrate these women, we honor all women without children, past and present, and look to the future possibilities of our collective power and creativity.
Over the past year, through New Legacy Radio, New Legacy Institute has worked to provide a breadth of perspectives from thought leaders, activists, and members of our community, to create a platform of visibility and social justice for our collective community of people without children.
We continue to assess the current state of things for our community, from workplace policy, housing and taxation, to global, national policies, which most often exclude and fail to consider the needs of people without children, and those who are single, and in diverse, legally unrecognized relationships.
We also have a sense of urgency in addressing the extremist narratives, which are projected onto women, when it comes to reproductive, relational and full life autonomy. In today’s episode we will discuss current cultural and policy narratives, which advocate for the control of women’s lives.
Further, women without children, have been specifically targeted and blamed for unsubstantiated claims of population “crises” across the globe. Therefore, it is vital that we collectively challenge the weaponization of these false narratives, for our community and beyond.
Join us for a conversation addressing these issues, and more, with today’s guest, Ruby Warrington. As a recognized thought leader, Ruby brings a unique, in-depth perspective to the complexities and priorities of our community, and the culture narratives, which impact women without children. She is the author of the brilliant, highly recommended book, “Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood. “Women Without Kids” published by Sounds True, and is out today!
How does the overturning of Roe v. Wade demonstrate the control and devaluation of those who are and may be impacted by pregnancy? What is at risk beyond abortion rights and access in the United States, and what is the global impact of this decision, as precedent?
Today, we are deeply honored to be in conversation with Karen Mulhauser. She is the first National Executive Director of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), now known as NARAL Pro-Choice America. From 1970-73, she trained family planning professionals in federally funded programs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. When she moved to Washington, DC in 1973, Karen was hired to open the DC office of NARAL and the following year, she was asked to be the Executive Director. In this position, she helped grow the membership 20-fold, started chapters throughout the country, and started the NARAL Foundation and political action committee.
Her experiences, expertise and activism through these decades, including her recent (June and July 2022) testimony before the DC Council Committee on Government Operations and Facilities and the Committee on Housing and Executive Administration Joint Public Hearing on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Amendment Act of 2022, exemplifies her continued commitment to protecting the freedom to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy. She has spoken poignantly to the United States never ratifying the United Nation’s Women’s Treaty, CEDAW, and advocacy for Washington, DC to be the next city to ratify the amendment, through the Cities for CEDAW campaign.
Karen, as other women, who have fought and advocated for these rights and freedom since the foundation of NARAL, are courageously sharing their personal stories of survivorship. Please join us for this very special episode.
People without children, those who are single, and diverse families remain excluded from status quo economic and family policies. Further, economic models that drive the social status quo, force policies that are neither inclusive, nor do they meet the realities of the population. The needs of households for individuals and relationships, which include chosen family require the same level of rights and protection granted to traditional family structures and households. What can we do to advocate for policy that reflects inclusive and equitable needs for our communities?Here to share their work with us, is Diana Adams, founder of Chosen Family Law Center, Inc., a non-profit legal services organization, and their own boutique LGBTQ family law and mediation firm Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC, both based in New York City They are an advocate for the rights and protection of individuals and diverse families. Their work has already influences legal changes in the area of housing, amidst other initiatives. Tune in to learn more about the incredible work of these organizations and their founder, and how you can join us in taking action for continued change, which includes and protects us all.
In this episode we are going to address some prevalent social stereotypes most often, projected onto people without children, in general, and specifically from the perspective of Kimberly Martinez Phillips, who is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Sociology Department at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her research and dissertation are focused on single, never-married, childfree women of color. Many of the women interviewed are childfree, but that does not mean their lives are carefree. Her analysis utilizes the perspectives of feminist standpoint theory and decolonial feminism through an intersectional lens.In alignment with many of the key focus areas of New Legacy Institute, we will discuss the many presumptions of a childfree life being equated to a carefree or responsibility free life. We will delve into the expectations and realities of people without children becoming caretakers for parents or other family members, and the social and economic realities of being single and not having children. We will also address the gross misconceptions that human characteristics such as being nurturing and having empathy, among others, are exclusive trait of mothers and parents.Join us live for this conversation addressing some of the poignant issues for our community, and for the opportunity to learn from the rich dissertation research outcomes Kimberly Martinez Phillips will share with us in this special follow up episode.
People without children continue to be dismissed in 2023. The media, educational and medical institutions, the workplace and policy makers, continue to ignore our very existence. People without children have always existed; we are not a new phenomenon. We are however, a growing community, and like every other marginalized group, we are left to fight for equity and relevant policy, and a recognized place of belonging in society.The denial of our community’s demographic, let alone out our immense contributions to society, evades us at every opportunity. Today, we will be speaking with childfree filmmaker and director, Therese Shechter. Her film, My So-Called Selfish Life has debuted globally via a digital premiere. This evening, the film will be celebrated at its Live New York City premiere, which is a sold-out event! Against the backdrop of this elevated visibility and the deeply reflective, cultural relevance of this film, its sold-out premiere evolved in the absence of press coverage, and other major marketing. Tonight’s event was made possible, and with many thanks, due to grassroots word-of-mouth and social media. Tune in to learn more about how this film has been received by diverse audiences, and the timely and in-depth connections to what is currently happening around the erosion of reproductive rights, and much more!
In today’s episode we recognize the founding and evolution of The NotMom -- its blog, social networks, and events for women without children by choice or by chance. We are happy to join the celebration of The NotMom’s upcoming 10th anniversary. We have previously discussed on the show the importance of how to come together as a collective community, engaging both childless and childfree community spaces, to influence changes in the workplace and public policy. Today, we will hear from the partners behind The NotMom: Karen Malone Wright and Laura M. LaVoie. Through their work and friendship, Karen and Laura have bridged their individual experiences of age, race, geography and living childless and childfree. They bring key insight and expertise to this conversation, and share what they have learned on their shared journey.We will also discuss how the scope of self-funded work that comprises so much of non-parents’ efforts to create real change are so often limited to what we can do as individuals or partners because our voices, concerns, and initiatives are too often not included, acknowledged, or respected, by businesses, funders, and governments. We will delve into the realities of how and why inclusion is needed within our own community and beyond, and the underlying reasons for challenges we face to achieve meaningful, impactful change.
In this episode, we will examine the presence of pronatalist influences throughout the mental health profession, from leadership and institutions to research and training. Within these critical roles and educational spaces, the mental health profession largely obscures the lived experiences of people without children. Given these influences, what is the impact on people without children, both as clients and practitioners in mental health? To help us navigate this conversation about what is needed to create greater inclusion and understanding of the needs of people without children, we will be joined by Katie Maynard. Katie is an experienced licensed Clinical Social Worker, who is advancing innovative and meaningful change in the mental health space, through her work with clinicians, to expand their competency with therapy that is affirmative of childless and childfree people. Join us for this relevant, insightful conversation!
In this episode, we discuss the history of the IVF industry, and its latest strategies for expanding its market reach and services. This 44-year-old for-profit industry is estimated to reach to $37 billion dollars globally by 2027. It has done a masterful job positioning itself as a ‘cure’ for infertility and, more recently, selling the ‘promise’ of future family through egg freezing and other third-party services. The hope sale is central to its business model. Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos has fought for the last decade+ to raise the visibility of those who have been negatively impacted by what she calls “the industry’s saccharine siren song.” She’s educated and brought much needed attention to the prevalent failure rates and health risks that accompany IVF and egg freezing as well as to the heavy personal toll when the reality doesn’t match the marketing.Here in the U.S., this industry is predominantly self-regulated. Without external oversight, clinics routinely market their reproductive services solely to the upside of the IVF process. Their websites and materials are filled with curated success stories. We will explore what is not being said, in our discussion today.There is also a concerning trend among larger companies to encourage the use of ‘fertility’ services, targeting young, presumably healthy females, through services such as egg freezing. This is offered under the guise of creating a solution for women to delay having a child or children, in order to remain fully employed. This also allows for some employers to dismiss more immediate workplace needs for parents, such as paid parental leave and childcare, while also dismissing the potential medical consequences and mental health impacts on women.In 2019, when Goldman Sachs, began offering a $10,000 stipend for egg retrieval and a $20,000 stipend for egg ‘donation’, they also began offering 26 weeks of paid parental leave regardless of gender, caregiver status or method of parenthood (birth, adoption, surrogacy). While companies are offering much needed, extended parental leave policies and unvetted, one could argue, predatory fertility services subsidies, these pronatal efforts still fail to recognize or reward employees without children. The $10-20k benefit, in addition to parental leave, is hardly an equitable proposition for those unable or uninterested in having children. Companies must begin to engage benefits for all employees, regardless of parental or family status, from equitable subsidies to universal paid leave, regardless of reason.Join us for a highly informative discussion, to learn more about the reproductive services industry, and in recognition of survivors.
Whether it is your own experience, or that of someone you know, the dismissal of symptoms, minimization of pain, failure to diagnose or incorrect diagnoses, and other medical oversight have caused often irreparable physical issues, and prolonged pain and symptoms, in the gynecological world.The high incidents and often life-long impact of medical care, absent of patient autonomy, remains prevalent with respect to gynecological disorders, and continues to impact more lives, every day.How do we raise awareness of these realities, experienced by so many? How do we further educate ourselves, and hold the field of gynecology accountable, while inviting respect for patient autonomy, and compassionate care?Joining us today, is Rachael Jablo, creator of The Hysteria Project. Rachael is a chronically ill, queer, Jewish, Berlin-based US-American artist who works with photography, installation, collage and occasionally performance. Through The Hysteria Project, Rachael honors and visual recognizes the personal narratives of those living with and who have experienced gynecological disorders. Tune in live, to learn more about her powerful work, and what you can do today to learn more about these real life matters.
Today's episode will offer listeners a timely, often-missing conversation about one of the least considered perspectives in pronatalist narratives, as we delve into the multi-layered impact of pronatalism on children.We will address current realities and future implications for the personal, social and systemic layers of the pronatalist agenda and resulting policies, for children. We will assess the reality of when children are centered and not, around the very meaning and value assigned to their lives and future possibilities.We will also explore questions such as, What kind of parents would children choose? and Should we really all have children? Our guest today is Kristen Tsetsi. She is the visionary author of the childfree-informed, post-Roe novel, The Age of the Child. Kristen uses her writing to explore and normalize the childfree choice, and brings a breadth and depth of perspective and insight to this discussion. Tune in live, to learn more!
In today’s episode we will celebrate women without children, who often remain overlooked against the backdrop of pronatalism, with respect to their talents, contributions and impact.We are fortunate to have with us two very talented writers, who are working to ensure that women without children are recognized in literature and throughout history. The collections, research and profiles expressed through their work, hold a significant and respected place in our community.Join us in conversation with Nicole Louie, who is a writer, translator, and content curator, and Emma Duval, writer, independent researcher, and the founder of the Childfree History Museum, the first virtual museum dedicated to the history of women without children.Through their guidance and knowledge, New Legacy Radio listeners and readers will discover and learn more about the extraordinary women, whose talents, influence and impact, pronatalism could not eclipse. As we recognize and celebrate these women, we honor all women without children, past and present, and look to the future possibilities of our collective power and creativity.
Over the past year, through New Legacy Radio, New Legacy Institute has worked to provide a breadth of perspectives from thought leaders, activists, and members of our community, to create a platform of visibility and social justice for our collective community of people without children.We continue to assess the current state of things for our community, from workplace policy, housing and taxation, to global, national policies, which most often exclude and fail to consider the needs of people without children, and those who are single, and in diverse, legally unrecognized relationships.We also have a sense of urgency in addressing the extremist narratives, which are projected onto women, when it comes to reproductive, relational and full life autonomy. In today’s episode we will discuss current cultural and policy narratives, which advocate for the control of women’s lives. Further, women without children, have been specifically targeted and blamed for unsubstantiated claims of population “crises” across the globe. Therefore, it is vital that we collectively challenge the weaponization of these false narratives, for our community and beyond.Join us for a conversation addressing these issues, and more, with today’s guest, Ruby Warrington. As a recognized thought leader, Ruby brings a unique, in-depth perspective to the complexities and priorities of our community, and the culture narratives, which impact women without children. She is the author of the brilliant, highly recommended book, “Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood. “Women Without Kids” published by Sounds True, and is out today!
People without children remain an unrecognized diversity group in the workplace and beyond. How do we begin to imagine the experience of truly inclusive organizational cultures and acknowledgement in the environments we work? What does employment equity for people without children look like? Today we will speak with Dr. Erin Conner, Co-founder and Vice President of Inclusion Design Group, recognized as a leading DEI firm. We will have an in-depth conversation with Dr. Conner about the complexities of workplace dynamics, and how people without children are impacted. We will discuss what is key to creating a culture of inclusion, and how individuals and organizations can begin to take steps toward cultural and policy change today. Please join is for a valuable and vital conversation for people without children, human resource professionals and all who work for diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace!
We often discuss the personal aspects of pronatalism, both in the community of people without children and on this show. We also look at how we are impacted in our everyday environments, such as the workplace. What comes to mind when you consider the global impact of pronatalism?In this episode, we will explore the greater dimensions of pronatalism, including social stigma, reproductive autonomy and responsibility, and ecological perspectives. We will also speak to population pressures and the importance of centering discourse around the impact of population.To guide us in this conversation, we are excited to have Nandita Bajaj, the Executive Director of Population Balance with us today! Nandita brings a depth of knowledge, wisdom and compassion as an educator and leading voice on the realities and impact of pronatalism.Please join us to learn more, and share any questions you may have with us, ahead of the show!
Jody Day is the British founder of Gateway Women, the global friendship, support & advocacy network she set up by accident after starting a blog sharing honestly the truth of her childlessness in 2011. It got media attention the day after the very first blog was published. Not long after, she was interviewed for The Guardian newspaper (UK) for a piece that went viral & is still being read today. She has often been referred to as 'the voice of the childless generation' Her compassionate, inclusive, incisive and sometimes humorous take on all things childless-related is one that many have come to rely on. Jody has written & spoken often of the fetishization of motherhood, whilst devaluing non-motherhood to the detriment of all women. Another example of this is International Women's Day, which has increasingly come to be seen as yet another day in the year to 'celebrate motherhood'. Thus entirely neglecting the role that non-mothers play in the world, and further reducing women's social contributions to their reproductive status. Join us for a fascinating & wide-ranging discussion about the dark underbelly of the media & its roots in the ‘shadow’ archetype of the mother. The first place change needs to take place is in our own minds by awakening to the seductive & corrosive power of pronatalism and how it limits the visions, lives & futures of all women (which is exactly what it’s meant to do!)
In the United States, the number of adults over age 55 15.2 million are living without children, while in the UK, the number of people over 65 without children, is expected to rise from over 1.2 million to 2 million by 2030.Within our community, many are living at the intersection aging and not having children. The impact of both pronatalism and ageism from social policy and care to housing and community, is often lived in silence and social exclusion. The COVID pandemic further isolated those who live living and are often not considered policy meant to meet specific needs during such times.While there are a growing number of gerontologists ad experts in the ageing field, our guest today, Patricia Faulks has a unique voice in this area, based on her lived experiences and expert insight. Please join us for this necessary and meaningful conversation today!
On today’s episode, we are going to discuss access to sterilization for those who choose not to have children, and the obstacles and discrimination they face, around personal agency and choice. Our guest today is Dr. Elizabeth Hintz, who has done extensive research on this topic.We will examine the extreme differences in access to permanent contraception by those who can become pregnant and those seeking vasectomies, and discuss how the post Roe v Wade (Dobbs) ruling continues to impact access to sterilization, while a rise in vasectomies has been notable.Dr. Hintz’s expertise in the field of communication brings a unique and much needed perspective to the ongoing social confrontations and communication challenges experienced by those who do not have children, and in particular, those who are childfree. Tune in for this educational, resource-filled episode!
The conscientious journeys and decision-making processes by people who don’t have children, often remain unacknowledged stories and contributions. Further, as our community of people without children grows in separate directions, namely via the identities childless and childfree it must be acknowledged that these identities most often reflect only the end points of this continuum.So, who are we as a collective community? What do the not so tidy experiences of people without children whose paths were not a simple “yes” or “no” look like, and how might the melding and choosing of ‘childless’ and ‘childfree’ identification be more complex than it is generally expressed?Our guest today is award-winning filmmaker, Maxine Trump, In her film, “To Kid. Or Not to Kid”, Maxine shares her own journey on this continuum. Her film bravely plunges into an aspect of reproductive choice often misunderstood, mischaracterized, or considered too taboo to discuss. With rising public awareness about climate change, resource scarcity and global population, her film asks the question Why can't we talk about not having children?”Join us for this conversation as we navigate these questions and more!
People without children remain a largely invisible, excluded population, socially and economically. Despite the growth in the number of people without children, ranging from 20%-30% globally, statistics and policy consideration to meet the needs and realities of our community remain outside the mainstream. This is particularly true in academic research, social and economic planning, and policy development.Today, we will be in conversation with Dr. Zachary Neal, an associate professor of psychology and global urban studies at Michigan State University, and Dr. Jennifer Watling Neal, a professor of psychology at Michigan State University. We will discuss their recently released research findings on childfree demographics and neighborhood satisfaction for those who do not have children. We will also assess some of the ways we can best create change on the basis of greater data-driven information, that reflects our community.
In this episode we are going to address some prevalent social stereotypes most often, projected onto people without children, in general, and specifically from the perspective of Kimberly Martinez Phillips, who is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Sociology Department at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her research and dissertation are focused on single, never-married, childfree women of color. Many of the women interviewed are childfree, but that does not mean their lives are carefree. Her analysis utilizes the perspectives of feminist standpoint theory and decolonial feminism through an intersectional lens.In alignment with many of the key focus areas of New Legacy Institute, we will discuss the many presumptions of a childfree life being equated to a carefree or responsibility free life. We will delve into the expectations and realities of people without children becoming caretakers for parents or other family members, and the social and economic realities of being single and not having children. We will also address the gross misconceptions that human characteristics such as being nurturing and having empathy, among others, are exclusive trait of mothers and parents.Join us live for this conversation addressing some of the poignant issues for our community, and for the opportunity to learn from the rich dissertation research outcomes Kimberly Martinez Phillips will share with us in this special follow up episode.
In today’s episode we will discuss the value of policy engagement for people without children, and why it matters for our community. We will look at the historical and current influences pronatalism has on social policy, workplace leave policies and benefits, and public policy.We will also assess the ways in which pronatalist culture and policies impact the daily lives of people without children, and why we must organize for collective action now. Joining us for this conversation will be New Legacy Advisors, Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director of Population Balance, Jody Day, who is an expert in female childlessness, and founder of Gateway Women; Dr. Robin Hadley, who is an expert and researcher on male childlessness, and Therese Shechter, who is a childfree filmmaker, and founder of Trixie Films!Tune in to learn more about New Legacy Institute’s purpose in advocating for policy change, and creating a social justice platform for people without children. We will also share how our community and allies can become part of the change we envision for our community and beyond!
People without children, those who are single, and diverse families remain excluded from status quo economic and family policies. Further, economic models that drive the social status quo, force policies that are neither inclusive, nor do they meet the realities of the population. The needs of households for individuals and relationships, which include chosen family require the same level of rights and protection granted to traditional family structures and households. What can we do to advocate for policy that reflects inclusive and equitable needs for our communities?Here to share their work with us, is Diana Adams, founder of Chosen Family Law Center, Inc., a non-profit legal services organization, and their own boutique LGBTQ family law and mediation firm Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC, both based in New York City They are an advocate for the rights and protection of individuals and diverse families. Their work has already influences legal changes in the area of housing, amidst other initiatives. Tune in to learn more about the incredible work of these organizations and their founder, and how you can join us in taking action for continued change, which includes and protects us all.
Do people keep telling you you'll change your mind about having kids? Have you been told that your choice not to have children is selfish?Award-winning filmmaker Therese Shechter delves into the taboos surrounding childfree women and choice. From social and familial responses to those who choose to remain childfree, to the resistance of the medical community to provide legally and medically approved procedures for those who voluntarily choose sterilization, Therese addresses the gamut of childfree choices and experiences.Today we will discuss her latest documentary, “My So-Called Selfish Life”, which is a is a paradigm-shifting journey through one of our society’s greatest social taboos: choosing not to become a mother. We also celebrate the upcoming, international release of her film, which will stream everywhere, starting May 6th, on Mother's Day weekend. The opportunity to stream the film be available from May 6-16, 2022To purchase your tickets, go to https://watch.showandtell.film/watch/my-so-called-selfish-life You also have the option to purchase tickets as gifts!Join us for this introspective, expert conversation and an audio preview of “My So-Called Selfish Life!” For additional information, visit https://trixiefilms.com today!
Excluded from policy measures and absent in DEI frameworks, even where laws and policies are designed to prevent discrimination based on family status, pronatalism is so deeply engrained in our social, professional and systemic psyches, that its impact remains unacknowledged. As a result, non-parents remain invisible, while navigating daily and life-long experiences of exclusion and inequity.From our own internalized patriarchal, pronatalist influences, to the ways we continue to cope and mitigate social and professional spaces that do not account for us, it can be challenging for people without children to express why the urgency to dismantle pronatalism matters.How do we begin to unravel the embedded layers of cultural, structural and systemic norms that continue to re-enforce the social devaluation of approximately one quarter of the global population? What is needed to acknowledge the population that is, rather than the one that is theorized, based on marriage and children, to create measurable predictability, as economic units?Join us for a revealing, in-depth conversation with Jody Day. We will explore new perspectives around the question of why the deeply adverse impact of pronatalism matters and why the inclusion of non-parents remains a silent issue within the workplace & beyond.
In the United States, the number of adults over age 55 15.2 million are living without children, while in the UK, the number of people over 65 without children, is expected to rise from over 1.2 million to 2 million by 2030.Within our community, many are living at the intersection aging and not having children. The impact of both pronatalism and ageism from social policy and care to housing and community, is often lived in silence and social exclusion. The COVID pandemic further isolated those who live living and are often not considered policy meant to meet specific needs during such times.While there are a growing number of gerontologists ad experts in the ageing field, our guest today, Patricia Faulks has a unique voice in this area, based on her lived experiences and expert insight. Please join us for this necessary and meaningful conversation today!
In today’s episode we will discuss the research initiatives of Kim Martinez Phillips, who is a PHD Candidate in Sociology. She is studying cultural representations of single women in film, and is currently interviewing single, never-married, childfree women of color, for her dissertation research. We welcome her representational insight and the valued experiences of interviewees. We will also touch on her recent research around the portrayal of single women in film.The vast, collective community of people without children includes all cultures, colors, genders, disabilities, neurodiversity, sexual preferences, languages, and geography. We are an integrally diverse community.As such, our work must reflect and continually evolve to center the layered and intersectional experiences and voices of our community; voices that counter and transcend the status quo, cultural, structural and systemic patterns of marginalization and exclusion.New Legacy Institute supports research and other expressions of narratives by those who have experienced the stories within these perspectives. We are grateful for and looking forward to learning more from the work of Kim Martinez Phillips, at this initial stage, and as it develops.
People without children remain an unrecognized diversity group in the workplace and beyond. How do we begin to imagine the experience of truly inclusive organizational cultures and acknowledgement in the environments we work? What does employment equity for people without children look like? Today we will speak with Dr. Erin Conner, Co-founder and Vice President of Inclusion Design Group, recognized as a leading DEI firm. We will have an in-depth conversation with Dr. Conner about the complexities of workplace dynamics, and how people without children are impacted. We will discuss what is key to creating a culture of inclusion, and how individuals and organizations can begin to take steps toward cultural and policy change today. Please join is for a valuable and vital conversation for people without children, human resource professionals and all who work for diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace!
In this episode, we will examine the presence of pronatalist influences throughout the mental health profession, from leadership and institutions to research and training. Within these critical roles and educational spaces, the mental health profession largely obscures the lived experiences of people without children. Given these influences, what is the impact on people without children, both as clients and practitioners in mental health? To help us navigate this conversation about what is needed to create greater inclusion and understanding of the needs of people without children, we will be joined by Katie Maynard. Katie is an experienced licensed Clinical Social Worker, who is advancing innovative and meaningful change in the mental health space, through her work with clinicians, to expand their competency with therapy that is affirmative of childless and childfree people. Join us for this relevant, insightful conversation!
The conscientious journeys and decision-making processes by people who don’t have children, often remain unacknowledged stories and contributions. Further, as our community of people without children grows in separate directions, namely via the identities childless and childfree it must be acknowledged that these identities most often reflect only the end points of this continuum. So, who are we as a collective community? What do the not so tidy experiences of people without children whose paths were not a simple “yes” or “no” look like, and how might the melding and choosing of ‘childless’ and ‘childfree’ identification be more complex than it is generally expressed? Our guest today is award-winning filmmaker, Maxine Trump, In her film, “To Kid. Or Not to Kid”, Maxine shares her own journey on this continuum. Her film bravely plunges into an aspect of reproductive choice often misunderstood, mischaracterized, or considered too taboo to discuss. With rising public awareness about climate change, resource scarcity and global population, her film asks the question Why can't we talk about not having children?” Join us for this conversation as we navigate these questions and more!
In the United States, the number of adults over age 55 15.2 million are living without children, while in the UK, the number of people over 65 without children, is expected to rise from over 1.2 million to 2 million by 2030.
Within our community, many are living at the intersection aging and not having children. The impact of both pronatalism and ageism from social policy and care to housing and community, is often lived in silence and social exclusion. The COVID pandemic further isolated those who live living and are often not considered policy meant to meet specific needs during such times.
While there are a growing number of gerontologists ad experts in the ageing field, our guest today, Patricia Faulks has a unique voice in this area, based on her lived experiences and expert insight. Please join us for this necessary and meaningful conversation today!
People without children, those who are single, and diverse families remain excluded from status quo economic and family policies. Further, economic models that drive the social status quo, force policies that are neither inclusive, nor do they meet the realities of the population.
The needs of households for individuals and relationships, which include chosen family require the same level of rights and protection granted to traditional family structures and households. What can we do to advocate for policy that reflects inclusive and equitable needs for our communities?
Here to share their work with us, is Diana Adams, founder of Chosen Family Law Center, Inc., a non-profit legal services organization, and their own boutique LGBTQ family law and mediation firm Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC, both based in New York City They are an advocate for the rights and protection of individuals and diverse families. Their work has already influences legal changes in the area of housing, amidst other initiatives.
Tune in to learn more about the incredible work of these organizations and their founder, and how you can join us in taking action for continued change, which includes and protects us all.
We often discuss the personal aspects of pronatalism, both in the community of people without children and on this show. We also look at how we are impacted in our everyday environments, such as the workplace. What comes to mind when you consider the global impact of pronatalism?
In this episode, we will explore the greater dimensions of pronatalism, including social stigma, reproductive autonomy and responsibility, and ecological perspectives. We will also speak to population pressures and the importance of centering discourse around the impact of population.
To guide us in this conversation, we are excited to have Nandita Bajaj, the Executive Director of Population Balance with us today! Nandita brings a depth of knowledge, wisdom and compassion as an educator and leading voice on the realities and impact of pronatalism.
Please join us to learn more, and share any questions you may have with us, ahead of the show!
The Dobbs decision in the United States has created ripple effects of grave consequences for access to abortion, and beyond.
What was is like before the Roe v. Wade decision, and what are the current realities?
How do the expectations and experiences around access to abortion differ from generation to generation?
State laws which prohibit access to abortion, impact all people who can get pregnant, and exponentially impact women. What can we truly say of the status of women in the US today?
Joining us to discuss these issues is Karen Mulhauser, the first National Director for the National Abortion Rights Action (NARAL), in Washington, DC, and Himaja Nagireddy, who is the current UNA-USA Youth Observer to the UN.
Please join us for this in-depth conversation and commit to ensuring your vote makes a difference on November 8th!
In a world driven by pronatalist economic systems, policies and rules that assume we will all have children, how does being childfree or permanently childless impact your financial planning? What considerations are key for our community? Joining us today is Dr. Jay Zigmont, a Certified Financial Planner focused on wealth strategies for people without children. We will discuss financial planning, which includes the needs and desires of individuals and families without children. Dr. Zigmont will also share findings of his recent research report: “Being Childfree may not make you rich, but it may make you happy.” Tune in to learn more!
Excluded from policy measures and absent in DEI frameworks, even where laws and policies are designed to prevent discrimination based on family status, pronatalism is so deeply engrained in our social, professional and systemic psyches, that its impact remains unacknowledged. As a result, non-parents remain invisible, while navigating daily and life-long experiences of exclusion and inequity. From our own internalized patriarchal, pronatalist influences, to the ways we continue to cope and mitigate social and professional spaces that do not account for us, it can be challenging for people without children to express why the urgency to dismantle pronatalism matters. How do we begin to unravel the embedded layers of cultural, structural and systemic norms that continue to re-enforce the social devaluation of approximately one quarter of the global population? What is needed to acknowledge the population that is, rather than the one that is theorized, based on marriage and children, to create measurable predictability, as economic units? Join us for a revealing, in-depth conversation with Jody Day. We will explore new perspectives around the question of why the deeply adverse impact of pronatalism matters and why the inclusion of non-parents remains a silent issue within the workplace & beyond.
In this episode, we will examine the presence of pronatalist influences throughout the mental health profession, from leadership and institutions to research and training. Within these critical roles and educational spaces, the mental health profession largely obscures the lived experiences of people without children.
Given these influences, what is the impact on people without children, both as clients and practitioners in mental health? To help us navigate this conversation about what is needed to create greater inclusion and understanding of the needs of people without children, we will be joined by Katie Maynard.
Katie is an experienced licensed Clinical Social Worker, who is advancing innovative and meaningful change in the mental health space, through her work with clinicians, to expand their competency with therapy that is affirmative of childless and childfree people. Join us for this relevant, insightful conversation!
The reasons for someone not having a child, by choice, chance or circumstance, are varied and vast. For some females, it is known early in their lives that a given medical diagnosis will determine their fertility, and for others, it may be undefined infertility later in life, or even the unforeseen consequences of cultural practices, which lead to not having children.
Some of the topics we have discussed to date on New Legacy Radio are still often deemed to be taboo; from childlessness, to the unspoken realities of IVF and the lack of transparency and accountability around reproductive technologies. We believe these are necessary, inclusive and compassionate conversations to have in this space.
Today we will speak with Angela Peabody, the Executive Director & Founder of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, who is on the forefront of legal accountability which addresses Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practices, and support for survivors of FGM.
We will discuss what FGM is, the experiences of survivors, and the reproductive impact on women who have experienced FGM. Join us for this in-depth, compassionate conversation, to bring about greater awareness of these experiences, and in recognition of FGM survivors who are part of our collective community of people without children.
How does pronatalism impede the collective power of women? Why does this remain a missing, mainstream conversation, and what does it mean for next generation advocacy?
In this episode, we discuss the ways in which women can be biased again other women, and in particular, our complicity at the intersection of womanhood and mothering. What are the intergenerational issues and opportunities that can move us toward our collective power?
Join us as we explore these questions and more with Kate Kaufmann, international, award-winning author of ‘Do You Have Kids? Life When the Answer is No.’
People without children remain a largely invisible, excluded population, socially and economically. Despite the growth in the number of people without children, ranging from 20%-30% globally, statistics and policy consideration to meet the needs and realities of our community remain outside the mainstream. This is particularly true in academic research, social and economic planning, and policy development.
Today, we will be in conversation with Dr. Zachary Neal, an associate professor of psychology and global urban studies at Michigan State University, and Dr. Jennifer Watling Neal, a professor of psychology at Michigan State University. We will discuss their recently released research findings on childfree demographics and neighborhood satisfaction for those who do not have children. We will also assess some of the ways we can best create change on the basis of greater data-driven information, that reflects our community.
On today’s episode, we are going to discuss access to sterilization for those who choose not to have children, and the obstacles and discrimination they face, around personal agency and choice. Our guest today is Dr. Elizabeth Hintz, who has done extensive research on this topic.
We will examine the extreme differences in access to permanent contraception by those who can become pregnant and those seeking vasectomies, and discuss how the post Roe v Wade (Dobbs) ruling continues to impact access to sterilization, while a rise in vasectomies has been notable.
Dr. Hintz’s expertise in the field of communication brings a unique and much needed perspective to the ongoing social confrontations and communication challenges experienced by those who do not have children, and in particular, those who are childfree. Tune in for this educational, resource-filled episode!
Today’s guest is Stephanie Joy Phillips, the founder of World Childless Week. Stephanie is childless not by choice (CNBC) and will share with us her motivation for launching World Childless Week, and the work that she does year-round in the same space.
Today we will discuss the focus of this year’s World Childless Week, which both acknowledges and share the stories of those who are childless, and delves into a variety of topics, which directly affect our lives.
We will also touch on the need for greater communication and collaboration among the larger community of people without children, which at times must transcend labels and differences, which so intimately define our experiences and diverse journeys. How do we find and honor our differences, while finding our commonalities, for mutual advocacy and benefit?
Join is for a detailed conversation about the intentions and topics of World Childless Week, to be held from 12-18 September 2022. Learn who it is for, and how to attend and participate in in a week that acknowledges and celebrate those who are childless. You don’t want to miss this year’s event!
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.
In the majority of countries, fertility statistics are most often measured by the reproductive experiences of women, exclusively. At least 1 in 5 women reach age 45, without having a child in the UK. This statistic is similarly reflected in several other countries, and is either higher or growing in others.
What might this number look like, if we were to track people of all gender expressions, who do not have children, whether by choice, chance or circumstance?
What do we really know about the experiences of childless men? We will delve into this topic with today’s guest, Dr. Robin Hadley, who is an international expert on male childlessness and aging. Dr. Hadley is childless not by choice, and brings the depth of his lived and professional insight to our conversation.
We will challenge assumptions about men’s experiences of not having children, and address the realities of aging and male fertility. We will also discuss what men need most in terms of acknowledgement and understanding of their childless journeys.
Our discussion will further reflect on what is needed for a more inclusive community movement to evolve, amidst the similarities and differences in male and female experiences of involuntary childlessness, social assumptions and policy inequities.
We often discuss the personal aspects of pronatalism, both in the community of people without children and on this show. We also look at how we are impacted in our everyday environments, such as the workplace. What comes to mind when you consider the global impact of pronatalism?
In this episode, we will explore the greater dimensions of pronatalism, including social stigma, reproductive autonomy and responsibility, and ecological perspectives. We will also speak to population pressures and the importance of centering discourse around the impact of population.
To guide us in this conversation, we are excited to have Nandita Bajaj, the Executive Director of Population Balance with us today! Nandita brings a depth of knowledge, wisdom and compassion as an educator and leading voice on the realities and impact of pronatalism.
Please join us to learn more, and share any questions you may have with us, ahead of the show!
Today, we are honored to have Donna Ward as our guest. Donna is the author “She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations on Life”, her memoir, which was published in 2020.
From the use of the term “spinster” and its origins, to the lifelong contemplation of crises and the prioritization of lives, we will discuss a range of topics from her touching and impactful essays and life reflections.
We will address the support of single people in catastrophic events from climate change, fires and floods, war and invasions, to the COVID pandemic. We will explore the experiences of those who are living alone, single and without children, against the backdrop of proclaimed phrasing “Women and Children First.”
Our conversation will include the ways in which current economic and health policies affect single people, given the assumed basic economic unit is a household of two incomes and children. Donna will draw on her writing, lived experience, expertise and current events to highlight the often invisible and potentially dire impact on those who are single and without children, in status quo crisis and policy planning.
People without children, as a collective community, have yet to be recognized as a marginalized group, within the framework of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). How do we begin to imagine the experience of truly belonging in the environments we work, and beyond?
What does it mean when organizations focus on only specific aspects within the spectrum of DEIB frameworks? ‘Diversity’ and ‘Inclusion’ seem to be most often used in naming such initiatives, leaving ‘Equity’ and “Belonging’ out of the equation, which is both curious and perhaps telling of organizational culture, from the start. ‘Belonging’ appears to be most often excluded from this framework. And if not for belonging and equity, what is the true underpinning of the DEIB framework?
Today’s guest is an expert on belonging in the workplace, and is nationally recognized as a diversity, equity, and inclusion thought leader. Rhodes Perry has written two incredible books on this topic, ‘Belonging at Work: Everyday Actions You Can Take to Cultivate an Inclusive Organization’ (2018), and ‘Imagine Belonging: Your Inclusive Leadership Guide to Building an Equitable Workplace’ (2022).
We will discuss what is key to creating a culture of belonging, and what this means for people without children. We will also examine the experience of social exclusion and the related individual and organizational impact of not choosing to create a culture of belonging, in the workplace.
July 26th In recognition of International Childfree Day, we will air an encore of our conversation with award-winning childfree filmmaker, Therese Shechter. From July 29-August 1, you will be able to stream (globally) her incredible film, My So-Called Selfish Life! For tickets and more information visit: https://myselfishlife.com
International Childfree Day is celebrated annually on 1 August! This was originally established in 1973, by the Alliance for Optional Parenthood, and was called Non-Parents' Day. Laura Carroll re-established this day in 2013. For more information: https://internationalchildfreeday.com
May 3rd Do people keep telling you you'll change your mind about having kids? Have you been told that your choice not to have children is selfish?
Award-winning filmmaker Therese Shechter delves into the taboos surrounding childfree women and choice. From social and familial responses to those who choose to remain childfree, to the resistance of the medical community to provide legally and medically approved procedures for those who voluntarily choose sterilization, Therese addresses the gamut of childfree choices and experiences.
Today we will discuss her latest documentary, “My So-Called Selfish Life”, which is a is a paradigm-shifting journey through one of our society’s greatest social taboos: choosing not to become a mother. We also celebrate the upcoming, international release of her film, which will stream everywhere, starting May 6th, on Mother's Day weekend. The opportunity to stream the film be available from May 6-16, 2022
To purchase your tickets, go to https://watch.showandtell.film/watch/my-so-called-selfish-life You also have the option to purchase tickets as gifts!
Join us for this introspective, expert conversation and an audio preview of “My So-Called Selfish Life!” For additional information, visit https://trixiefilms.com today!
How does the overturning of Roe v. Wade demonstrate the control and devaluation of those who are and may be impacted by pregnancy? What is at risk beyond abortion rights and access in the United States, and what is the global impact of this decision, as precedent?
Today, we are deeply honored to be in conversation with Karen Mulhauser. She is the first National Executive Director of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), now known as NARAL Pro-Choice America. From 1970-73, she trained family planning professionals in federally funded programs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. When she moved to Washington, DC in 1973, Karen was hired to open the DC office of NARAL and the following year, she was asked to be the Executive Director. In this position, she helped grow the membership 20-fold, started chapters throughout the country, and started the NARAL Foundation and political action committee.
Her experiences, expertise and activism through these decades, including her recent (June and July 2022) testimony before the DC Council Committee on Government Operations and Facilities and the Committee on Housing and Executive Administration Joint Public Hearing on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Amendment Act of 2022, exemplifies her continued commitment to protecting the freedom to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy. She has spoken poignantly to the United States never ratifying the United Nation’s Women’s Treaty, CEDAW, and advocacy for Washington, DC to be the next city to ratify the amendment, through the Cities for CEDAW campaign.
Karen, as other women, who have fought and advocated for these rights and freedom since the foundation of NARAL, are courageously sharing their personal stories of survivorship. Please join us for this very special episode.
People without children remain an unrecognized diversity group in the workplace and beyond. How do we begin to imagine the experience of truly inclusive organizational cultures and acknowledgement in the environments we work? What does employment equity for people without children look like?
Today we will speak with Dr. Erin Conner, Co-founder and Vice President of Inclusion Design Group, recognized as a leading DEI firm. We will have an in-depth conversation with Dr. Conner about the complexities of workplace dynamics, and how people without children are impacted.
We will discuss what is key to creating a culture of inclusion, and how individuals and organizations can begin to take steps toward cultural and policy change today.
Please join is for a valuable and vital conversation for people without children, human resource professionals and all who work for diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace!
Today’s guest is Stephanie Joy Phillips, the founder of World Childless Week. Stephanie is childless not by choice (CNBC) and will share with us her motivation for launching World Childless Week, and the work that she does year-round in the same space.
Today we will discuss the focus of this year’s World Childless Week, which both acknowledges and share the stories of those who are childless, and delves into a variety of topics, which directly affect our lives.
We will also touch on the need for greater communication and collaboration among the larger community of people without children, which at times must transcend labels and differences, which so intimately define our experiences and diverse journeys. How do we find and honor our differences, while finding our commonalities, for mutual advocacy and benefit?
Join is for a detailed conversation about the intentions and topics of World Childless Week, to be held from 12-18 September 2022. Learn who it is for, and how to attend and participate in in a week that acknowledges and celebrate those who are childless. You don’t want to miss this year’s event!
Our focus for this episode, will be on the origins of the childfree-parenthood-by-choice movement, the fight against pronatalism in the United States, and where we are today.
Pronatalist culture, policy and language continues to permeate within personal relationships, across cultures, in the workplace, and through media and entertainment narratives. How do we become fully acknowledged as a diverse community of people who comprise approximately 25% of the overall population?
Today we will honor the foundational work of the National Organization for Non-Parents (NON), later renamed the National Alliance for Optional Parenthood (NAOP), founded by Ellen Peck and Shirley Radl, in 1972. And although not having children wasn’t new, and has been a reality for centuries, creating a visible movement, and speaking publicly to these issues was, particularly as it relates to the matter of choice.
The purpose of NON was to support those who chose not to have children, educating the public around non-parenthood as a choice, bringing greater awareness of overpopulation, and supporting other groups with aligned goals.
Our guest for this episode is social justice activist and entrepreneur, and former NON spokesperson, Joan Eisenstodt. Joan will share her journey to being childfree, and her history making experience in her home state of Ohio, as well as their experiences in the childfree movement.
We will discuss reproductive justice, and voluntarily sterilization, for those who choose not to have children. We will reflect on what has changed since the start of the childfree-parenthood-by-choice movement, and not. Our conversation will assess the status of reproductive rights today, the perception of those without children, and what is needed going forward, for our community.
Today’s guests are LeNora Faye and Cody Hetzel, two of the three co-founders of Childfree Convention. Jared Hansen is the other co-founder.
All three are visible advocates for those who are childfree, through their individual public and private platforms, and their collective work as co-founder. They are creators of content, conversation and connection that brings childfree people together, while engaging meaningful conversations for change.
Today we will discuss the breadth of the Childfree Convention and the importance of Childfree Representation. We will also touch on the need for greater communication and collaboration among the larger community of people without children, that transcends label and differences, where we can honor our diverse journeys while finding our commonalities, for mutual advocacy and benefit.
Join is for a detailed conversation about the breadth and depth of the 2022 Virtual Childfree Convention! Learn who it is for, and how to attend and participate in ways that work best for you. There is no cost to attend and there will be various platforms through which to access content and sessions. You don’t want to miss this year’s event!
In today’s episode, we will discuss the history of the IVF industry, and its latest strategies for expanding its market reach and services. This 44-year-old for-profit industry is estimated to reach to $37 billion dollars globally by 2027. It has done a masterful job positioning itself as a ‘cure’ for infertility and, more recently, selling the ‘promise’ of future family through egg freezing and other third-party services. The hope sale is central to its business model.
Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos has fought for the last decade+ to raise the visibility of those who have been negatively impacted by what she calls “the industry’s saccharine siren song.” She’s educated and brought much needed attention to the prevalent failure rates and health risks that accompany IVF and egg freezing as well as to the heavy personal toll when the reality doesn’t match the marketing.
Here in the U.S., this industry is predominantly self-regulated. Without external oversight, clinics routinely market their reproductive services solely to the upside of the IVF process. Their websites and materials are filled with curated success stories. We will explore what is not being said, in our discussion today.
There is also a concerning trend among larger companies to encourage the use of ‘fertility’ services, targeting young, presumably healthy females, through services such as egg freezing. This is offered under the guise of creating a solution for women to delay having a child or children, in order to remain fully employed. This also allows for some employers to dismiss more immediate workplace needs for parents, such as paid parental leave and childcare, while also dismissing the potential medical consequences and mental health impacts on women.
In 2019, when Goldman Sachs, began offering a $10,000 stipend for egg retrieval and a $20,000 stipend for egg ‘donation’, they also began offering 26 weeks of paid parental leave regardless of gender, caregiver status or method of parenthood (birth, adoption, surrogacy).
While companies are offering much needed, extended parental leave policies and unvetted, one could argue, predatory fertility services subsidies, these pronatal efforts still fail to recognize or reward employees without children. The $10-20k benefit, in addition to parental leave, is hardly an equitable proposition for those unable or uninterested in having children.
Companies must begin to engage benefits for all employees, regardless of parental or family status, from equitable subsidies to universal paid leave, regardless of reason.
Join us for a highly informative discussion, to learn more about the reproductive services industry, and in recognition of survivors.
Excluded from policy measures and absent in DEI frameworks, even where laws and policies are designed to prevent discrimination based on family status, pronatalism is so deeply engrained in our social, professional and systemic psyches, that its impact remains unacknowledged. As a result, non-parents remain invisible, while navigating daily and life-long experiences of exclusion and inequity. From our own internalized patriarchal, pronatalist influences, to the ways we continue to cope and mitigate social and professional spaces that do not account for us, it can be challenging for people without children to express why the urgency to dismantle pronatalism matters. How do we begin to unravel the embedded layers of cultural, structural and systemic norms that continue to re-enforce the social devaluation of approximately one quarter of the global population? What is needed to acknowledge the population that is, rather than the one that is theorized, based on marriage and children, to create measurable predictability, as economic units? Join us for a revealing, in-depth conversation with Jody Day. We will explore new perspectives around the question of why the deeply adverse impact of pronatalism matters and why the inclusion of non-parents remains a silent issue within the workplace & beyond.
In today’s episode we recognize the founding and evolution of The NotMom -- its blog, social networks, and events for women without children by choice or by chance. We are happy to join the celebration of The NotMom’s upcoming 10th anniversary.
We have previously discussed on the show the importance of how to come together as a collective community, engaging both childless and childfree community spaces, to influence changes in the workplace and public policy.
Today, we will hear from the partners behind The NotMom: Karen Malone Wright and Laura M. LaVoie.
Through their work and friendship, Karen and Laura have bridged their individual experiences of age, race, geography and living childless and childfree. They bring key insight and expertise to this conversation, and share what they have learned on their shared journey.
We will also discuss how the scope of self-funded work that comprises so much of non-parents’ efforts to create real change are so often limited to what we can do as individuals or partners because our voices, concerns, and initiatives are too often not included, acknowledged, or respected, by businesses, funders, and governments.
We will delve into the realities of how and why inclusion is needed within our own community and beyond, and the underlying reasons for challenges we face to achieve meaningful, impactful change.
With more than two decades of activism, writing and wisdom, focused on the childfree choice, Laura Carroll will share insight around her journey, and the evolution of the childfree movement. She will also discuss her recently published longitudinal research, which followed 25 women over a decade.
In this episode, we will discuss the need to find ways to best bring together the childfree and childless communities, to build a shared movement for meaningful change. New Legacy Institute advocates for a collective “without children” movement, focused on the ways our experiences intersect, and identifying what impacts us most, as a collective community.
We will look at both the perceived and actual differences in our experiences, and how identifying terms often get in the way of recognizing the spectrum and continuum of our shared experiences. We will consider the ways we can choose to actively bridge our communities by reflecting on our common intentions to impact social change and to influence inclusive and equitable policy initiatives.
Join us for this in-depth conversation for change. Share your questions and comments before, during or after the show on any of our platforms, or email radio@newlegacyinstitute.com
People without children, as a collective community, have yet to be recognized as a marginalized group, within the framework of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). How do we begin to imagine the experience of truly belonging in the environments we work, and beyond?
What does it mean when organizations focus on only specific aspects within the spectrum of DEIB frameworks? ‘Diversity’ and ‘Inclusion’ seem to be most often used in naming such initiatives, leaving ‘Equity’ and “Belonging’ out of the equation, which is both curious and perhaps telling of organizational culture, from the start. ‘Belonging’ appears to be most often excluded from this framework. And if not for belonging and equity, what is the true underpinning of the DEIB framework?
Today’s guest is an expert on belonging in the workplace, and is nationally recognized as a diversity, equity, and inclusion thought leader. Rhodes Perry has written two incredible books on this topic, ‘Belonging at Work: Everyday Actions You Can Take to Cultivate an Inclusive Organization’ (2018), and ‘Imagine Belonging: Your Inclusive Leadership Guide to Building an Equitable Workplace’ (2022).
We will discuss what is key to creating a culture of belonging, and what this means for people without children. We will also examine the experience of social exclusion and the related individual and organizational impact of not choosing to create a culture of belonging, in the workplace.
Today, we are honored to have Donna Ward as our guest. Donna is the author “She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations on Life”, her memoir, which was published in 2020.
From the use of the term “spinster” and its origins, to the lifelong contemplation of crises and the prioritization of lives, we will discuss a range of topics from her touching and impactful essays and life reflections.
We will address the support of single people in catastrophic events from climate change, fires and floods, war and invasions, to the COVID pandemic. We will explore the experiences of those who are living alone, single and without children, against the backdrop of proclaimed phrasing “Women and Children First.”
Our conversation will include the ways in which current economic and health policies affect single people, given the assumed basic economic unit is a household of two incomes and children. Donna will draw on her writing, lived experience, expertise and current events to highlight the often invisible and potentially dire impact on those who are single and without children, in status quo crisis and policy planning.
Do people keep telling you you'll change your mind about having kids? Have you been told that your choice not to have children is selfish?
Award-winning filmmaker Therese Shechter delves into the taboos surrounding childfree women and choice. From social and familial responses to those who choose to remain childfree, to the resistance of the medical community to provide legally and medically approved procedures for those who voluntarily choose sterilization, Therese addresses the gamut of childfree choices and experiences.
Today we will discuss her latest documentary, “My So-Called Selfish Life”, which is a is a paradigm-shifting journey through one of our society’s greatest social taboos: choosing not to become a mother. We also celebrate the upcoming, international release of her film, which will stream everywhere, starting May 6th, on Mother's Day weekend. The opportunity to stream the film be available from May 6-16, 2022
To purchase your tickets, go to https://watch.showandtell.film/watch/my-so-called-selfish-life You also have the option to purchase tickets as gifts!
Join us for this introspective, expert conversation and an audio preview of “My So-Called Selfish Life!” For additional information, visit https://trixiefilms.com today!
What does the grief process look like for those who are childless? In what ways does the experience of childless impact people in their everyday lives and in the workplace? Today we will learn more from two therapists, about the childless experience. Judy Graham and Sarah Roberts will share their experiences of childlessness, and their unique approach, as grief therapists, who serve childless women. They have worked collaboratively to identify similar threads, related to the social and cultural experiences of childless women, and will share their collective expertise around the relationship between the individual experience and the shared experience of being childless. Through their therapy practices, professional histories, and aligned community activism, they have also worked to develop Childlessness Australia, a Childless Not By Choice (CNBC), national self-advocacy organization. Childlessness Australia advocates for the visibility, rights, wellbeing and inclusion of involuntary childless people in Australia. Sarah and Judy will share their vision, and efforts to date.
In today’s episode we recognize the founding and evolution of The NotMom -- its blog, social networks, and events for women without children by choice or by chance. We are happy to join the celebration of The NotMom’s upcoming 10th anniversary.
We have previously discussed on the show the importance of how to come together as a collective community, engaging both childless and childfree community spaces, to influence changes in the workplace and public policy.
Today, we will hear from the partners behind The NotMom: Karen Malone Wright and Laura M. LaVoie.
Through their work and friendship, Karen and Laura have bridged their individual experiences of age, race, geography and living childless and childfree. They bring key insight and expertise to this conversation, and share what they have learned on their shared journey.
We will also discuss how the scope of self-funded work that comprises so much of non-parents’ efforts to create real change are so often limited to what we can do as individuals or partners because our voices, concerns, and initiatives are too often not included, acknowledged, or respected, by businesses, funders, and governments.
We will delve into the realities of how and why inclusion is needed within our own community and beyond, and the underlying reasons for challenges we face to achieve meaningful, impactful change.
In today’s episode we will discuss the research initiatives of Kim Martinez Phillips, who is a PHD Candidate in Sociology. She is studying cultural representations of single women in film, and is currently interviewing single, never-married, childfree women of color, for her dissertation research. We welcome her representational insight and the valued experiences of interviewees. We will also touch on her recent research around the portrayal of single women in film.
The vast, collective community of people without children includes all cultures, colors, genders, disabilities, neurodiversity, sexual preferences, languages, and geography. We are an integrally diverse community.
As such, our work must reflect and continually evolve to center the layered and intersectional experiences and voices of our community; voices that counter and transcend the status quo, cultural, structural and systemic patterns of marginalization and exclusion.
New Legacy Institute supports research and other expressions of narratives by those who have experienced the stories within these perspectives. We are grateful for and looking forward to learning more from the work of Kim Martinez Phillips, at this initial stage, and as it develops.
The reasons for someone not having a child, by choice, chance or circumstance, are varied and vast. For some females, it is known early in their lives that a given medical diagnosis will determine their fertility, and for others, it may be undefined infertility later in life, or even the unforeseen consequences of cultural practices, which lead to not having children.
Some of the topics we have discussed to date on New Legacy Radio are still often deemed to be taboo; from childlessness, to the unspoken realities of IVF and the lack of transparency and accountability around reproductive technologies. We believe these are necessary, inclusive and compassionate conversations to have in this space.
Today we will speak with Angela Peabody, the Executive Director & Founder of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, who is on the forefront of legal accountability which addresses Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practices, and support for survivors of FGM.
We will discuss what FGM is, the experiences of survivors, and the reproductive impact on women who have experienced FGM. Join us for this in-depth, compassionate conversation, to bring about greater awareness of these experiences, and in recognition of FGM survivors who are part of our collective community of people without children.
In today’s episode, we will discuss the history of the IVF industry, and its latest strategies for expanding its market reach and services. This 44-year-old for-profit industry is estimated to reach to $37 billion dollars globally by 2027. It has done a masterful job positioning itself as a ‘cure’ for infertility and, more recently, selling the ‘promise’ of future family through egg freezing and other third-party services. The hope sale is central to its business model.
Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos has fought for the last decade+ to raise the visibility of those who have been negatively impacted by what she calls “the industry’s saccharine siren song.” She’s educated and brought much needed attention to the prevalent failure rates and health risks that accompany IVF and egg freezing as well as to the heavy personal toll when the reality doesn’t match the marketing.
Here in the U.S., this industry is predominantly self-regulated. Without external oversight, clinics routinely market their reproductive services solely to the upside of the IVF process. Their websites and materials are filled with curated success stories. We will explore what is not being said, in our discussion today.
There is also a concerning trend among larger companies to encourage the use of ‘fertility’ services, targeting young, presumably healthy females, through services such as egg freezing. This is offered under the guise of creating a solution for women to delay having a child or children, in order to remain fully employed. This also allows for some employers to dismiss more immediate workplace needs for parents, such as paid parental leave and childcare, while also dismissing the potential medical consequences and mental health impacts on women.
In 2019, when Goldman Sachs, began offering a $10,000 stipend for egg retrieval and a $20,000 stipend for egg ‘donation’, they also began offering 26 weeks of paid parental leave regardless of gender, caregiver status or method of parenthood (birth, adoption, surrogacy).
While companies are offering much needed, extended parental leave policies and unvetted, one could argue, predatory fertility services subsidies, these pronatal efforts still fail to recognize or reward employees without children. The $10-20k benefit, in addition to parental leave, is hardly an equitable proposition for those unable or uninterested in having children.
Companies must begin to engage benefits for all employees, regardless of parental or family status, from equitable subsidies to universal paid leave, regardless of reason.
Join us for a highly informative discussion, to learn more about the reproductive services industry, and in recognition of survivors.
In the majority of countries, fertility statistics are most often measured by the reproductive experiences of women, exclusively. At least 1 in 5 women reach age 45, without having a child in the UK. This statistic is similarly reflected in several other countries, and is either higher or growing in others.
What might this number look like, if we were to track people of all gender expressions, who do not have children, whether by choice, chance or circumstance?
What do we really know about the experiences of childless men? We will delve into this topic with today’s guest, Dr. Robin Hadley, who is an international expert on male childlessness and aging. Dr. Hadley is childless not by choice, and brings the depth of his lived and professional insight to our conversation.
We will challenge assumptions about men’s experiences of not having children, and address the realities of aging and male fertility. We will also discuss what men need most in terms of acknowledgement and understanding of their childless journeys.
Our discussion will further reflect on what is needed for a more inclusive community movement to evolve, amidst the similarities and differences in male and female experiences of involuntary childlessness, social assumptions and policy inequities.
With more than two decades of activism, writing and wisdom, focused on the childfree choice, Laura Carroll will share insight around her journey, and the evolution of the childfree movement. She will also discuss her recently published longitudinal research, which followed 25 women over a decade.
In this episode, we will discuss the need to find ways to best bring together the childfree and childless communities, to build a shared movement for meaningful change. New Legacy Institute advocates for a collective “without children” movement, focused on the ways our experiences intersect, and identifying what impacts us most, as a collective community.
We will look at both the perceived and actual differences in our experiences, and how identifying terms often get in the way of recognizing the spectrum and continuum of our shared experiences. We will consider the ways we can choose to actively bridge our communities by reflecting on our common intentions to impact social change and to influence inclusive and equitable policy initiatives.
Join us for this in-depth conversation for change. Share your questions and comments before, during or after the show on any of our platforms, or email radio@newlegacyinstitute.com
Jody Day is the British founder of Gateway Women, the global friendship, support & advocacy network she set up by accident after starting a blog sharing honestly the truth of her childlessness in 2011. It got media attention the day after the very first blog was published. Not long after, she was interviewed for The Guardian newspaper (UK) for a piece that went viral & is still being read today.
She has often been referred to as 'the voice of the childless generation' Her compassionate, inclusive, incisive and sometimes humorous take on all things childless-related is one that many have come to rely on, and even take for granted. Yet starting a 'movement', which is what she has done, often comes at a great personal cost and few stay the course. Most 'blogs' & 'initiatives' in the childless-support space, set up by individuals, close after a few years when the creators no longer need the outlet themselves, or can no longer bear the burden of the emotional, logistical & financial cost of continuing to do so. And there is no institutional support for it either.
However, the need for a spokesperson who has not only walked through the fire of childless grief, but has also supported thousands of others to do so, remains hugely important. Jody has persisted, often earning less than the minimum wage to do so. Such long-term visionary qualities, allied to her psychotherapeutic training and her deep fascination with social justice, systemic thinking, depth psychology and feminism continue to make her one of the most original voices in the non-parent space today.
Jody has written & spoken often of how pronatalism + consumerism + media have fetishized motherhood whilst devaluing non-motherhood to the detriment of all women. Another example of this is International Women's Day, which has increasingly come to be seen as yet another day in the year to 'celebrate motherhood'. Thus entirely neglecting the role that non-mothers play in the world, and further reducing women's social contributions to their reproductive status. This creep has been so steady and so supported by the overculture that even to point this out is seen as somehow being 'anti-mother' or 'anti-children'. She frames this social elevation of motherhood (which is entirely a lip-service glorification; mothers & children are still woefully under supported in practical & financial ways) as a backlash against the advances in gender equality made in the 1970s and thus an important one to contextualize and resist. Whether mothers or not, we are women first, and that's the message IWD needs to get behind.
Join us for what will no doubt be a fascinating & wide-ranging discussion about the dark underbelly of the media & its roots in the ‘shadow’ archetype of the mother. The first place change needs to take place is in our own minds by awakening to the seductive & corrosive power of pronatalism and how it limits the visions, lives & futures of all women (which is exactly what it’s meant to do!)
Our focus for this episode, will be on the origins of the childfree-parenthood-by-choice movement, the fight against pronatalism in the United States, and where we are today.
Pronatalist culture, policy and language continues to permeate within personal relationships, across cultures, in the workplace, and through media and entertainment narratives. How do we become fully acknowledged as a diverse community of people who comprise approximately 25% of the overall population?
Today we will honor the foundational work of the National Organization for Non-Parents (NON), later renamed the National Alliance for Optional Parenthood (NAOP), founded by Ellen Peck and Shirley Radl, in 1972. And although not having children wasn’t new, and has been a reality for centuries, creating a visible movement, and speaking publicly to these issues was, particularly as it relates to the matter of choice.
The purpose of NON was to support those who chose not to have children, educating the public around non-parenthood as a choice, bringing greater awareness of overpopulation, and supporting other groups with aligned goals.
Our guest for this episode is social justice activist and entrepreneur, and former NON spokesperson, Joan Eisenstodt. Joan will share her journey to being childfree, and her history making experience in her home state of Ohio, as well as their experiences in the childfree movement.
We will discuss reproductive justice, and voluntarily sterilization, for those who choose not to have children. We will reflect on what has changed since the start of the childfree-parenthood-by-choice movement, and not. Our conversation will assess the status of reproductive rights today, the perception of those without children, and what is needed going forward, for our community.
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.