Childfree Women's Communication Experiences: A Phenomenological Study of Voluntary Childlessness by Choice

Abstract

This phenomenological study investigates the lived communication experiences of women in Indonesia who are voluntarily childless by choice (childfree by choice, CFC). In a collectivistic society deeply rooted in patriarchal and pro-natalist traditions, the decision to remain childfree is often met with profound social scrutiny, pressure, and stigma. Utilizing a qualitative, interpretive research design, this study interviewed ten Indonesian women who have made this life choice, focusing on their daily communicative strategies, challenges, and meaning-making processes. The findings reveal a complex communicative landscape defined by stigma management, negotiation of familial expectations, and the construction of alternative support networks. Key communication themes include the necessity of defensive communication against intrusive public inquiries, strategic silence within the extended family context, and the dyadic communicative reinforcement of the decision with their partners. The discussion employs Erving Goffman’s Stigma Theory and concepts of the Social Construction of Reality to illuminate how these women actively challenge and renegotiate the societal script of womanhood and motherhood through communication. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of voluntary childlessness in non-Western contexts, emphasizing the critical role of interpersonal and mediated communication in maintaining a non-normative life choice.