Childfree Women Face More Challenges Than You Think at Work
While a lot has been written about the significant motherhood bias women face in the workplace, little has been discussed about the challenges faced by childfree women. By the time I was in college, I knew that having children would not be my path; it wasn’t something I wanted to do 1000% with my heart and soul, and I felt that’s what it would take for me to be a good parent. When I began working, I thought being childfree would benefit my career, as I could focus my energy on my work, but soon discovered, it was more complicated.
Childfree Life: By Chance or By Choice
Historically, a woman's reason for being childfree has invited different kinds of stigma writes Anne Lora Scagliusi in Vanity Fair. The childless, who are unable to have children, but want them, tend to be met with pity — and sometimes, shamefully, a sense that they are somehow “less than.” Those who choose to remain child-free invite an even less sympathetic response, and are often characterized as self-centered and individualistic.
But how does being childfree play out in the office? Turns out there is research to back up what I was feeling at work all those years ago and how I was being viewed as a leader while moving up the ladder. In Stephanie McCluskey’s 2018 thesis, Childfree Women: Navigating Perceptions and Developing a Leadership Identity, she explains: “childfree women seeking acceptance and credibility as leaders are challenged by societal perceptions for three reasons:
- Stereotypical views exist of women as mothers and nurturers, which are not the traditional male-oriented leadership traits.
- When women do display traditional leadership traits, they experience backlash for not prescribing to the female gender role.
- Because childfree women reject the role of motherhood, they are not seen as possessing the communal characteristics (i.e. loving, sensitive, and warm) that may make them more likable as leaders.
"What is most pervasive and consistent . . . is a general negativity assigned to the childfree status - more selfish and immature –– when compared to involuntarily childless women and mothers.”
Intrigued by this information, I decided to survey childfree women in the hospitality industry to understand their experiences, and received over 20 anonymous responses. What I learned from these women was: there are a variety of ways women arrive at the decision to be childfree as well as how being childfree impacts these women’s careers, the workload they face, and their relationships with work colleagues.
