Childfreeness in Poland – group description and reasons behind not wanting to have children

Abstract

AbstractChildfreeness remains a largely unexplored subject in Poland. We provide insights into the scale of childlessness by choice and the motivations and characteristics of childfree people in the country. We conducted a quantitative study (national stratified random sample, n = 665, age 18–50 (M = 34.14, SD = 9.22), October 2021) and a qualitative exploration (n = 461, age 18–58 (M = 29.07, SD = 7.01), May 2020–January 2021). The quantitative analyses revealed that 14.89% of adult Poles of reproductive age did not have children and were not planning to have them. The decision not to have children was significantly predicted by lower age and left-wing political and liberal social beliefs. The qualitative analyses showed that the most common reasons for being childfree were lack of parental instinct (I do not feel the maternal instinct), not liking children (I cannot stand children) and desire for autonomy (I want to be independent). The results suggest that the Polish childfree population is substantial and diverse in their reasons for not wanting to have children.