Episodes

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 rela...

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 convers...

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 Insurrect...

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 re...

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...

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 socia...

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...

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...

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 neede...

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...

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...

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 th...

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, L...

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 wit...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 the...

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 ...

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 w...

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....

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 Le...

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...

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 ...