Shifting societal stigma

It is still up for debate whether the child-free movement could have an impact on future generations’ decisions to have children or on public perceptions of non-parents.

O’Connor asserts that it is essential to emphasize the fact that the majority of child-free advocates “are very pro-choice for everyone” and do not seek to “convince people to be child-free” or “try to recruit for the community.” However, she hopes that as online groups expand in popularity, they will provide those who are already childless with additional tools to “facilitate” their lifestyle choice and help more people who are unsure about having children understand their options.

Due to the growing number of people who are not currently having children, Hintz is confident that being childless will become even “more normalized” in the upcoming years. She hopes this will help dispel the misconception that “child-free people are selfish and miserable,” as those who have or want children will naturally begin to encounter more child-free singles or couples who can dispel that myth.