Natalism

been following and studying and writing about the child free choice.

That led me to something called pronatalism and what that is and why it still drives our culture and society and how it has negative impacts.

Pronatalism.

I didn't realize there was a word for what I've been struggling with.

Apparently, most cultures are pronatalist societies where the value of having kids has been reinforced over centuries.

Replenishing the millions of lives lost in World War II brought yet another reason to venerate giving birth.

No wonder we're made to feel it's our duty.

Pronatalism is so woven into the fabric of everyday life that most people don't realize they're reinforcing it.

Hi everyone, and thank you for joining me.

My name is Nandita Bajaj, and I'm the host of Beyond Pronatalism, Finding Fulfillment With or Without Kids, an interview series in which through intimate conversations with people from diverse backgrounds, I explore how they are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism, the often unspoken pressures to have children, whether from family, friends, or the culture at large.

Each episode features a personal story born out of liberated and informed choice about redefining what family means, including being childfree or childless, having biological kids, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones.

Hi and welcome to Beyond Pronalism, Miriam.

I loved talking to you.

Thank you, Nandita.

That's all for this edition of Beyond Pronatalism.

To share feedback about the show or a particular episode or to share your own story on the podcast, please get in touch with me using the link in the show notes.

My guest today is Dawn Llewellyn, Associate Professor of Religion and Gender at the University of Chester.

Her research traces how pronatalism, the assumption that having children is a natural expected path, is itself deeply rooted in Christian teaching.

Her latest book is titled Motherhood, Voluntary Childlessness and Christianity, Narratives of Choice.

In this episode, she talks about her own decision not to have children, how Christianity has shaped our wider ideas about pronatalism, and what her research reveals about the guilt, isolation and silence Christian women without children so often carry.

Dawn, welcome to No Kidding.

Oh, thank you, Catherine.

I have about 40 cousins, some of them I don't even know.

So hello if you're listening to half of Belfast that I'm related to.

Amazing.

Natalism in Israel is big and somehow flows both from culture to politics and vice versa.

Beyond what's common in many places, like societal pressure to have kids, Israel has a bunch of policies that I believe make it unique.

Starting small, pretty much all fertility treatments, including IVF, are covered by the healthcare system.