Welcome to Otherhood

Thanks for joining us for our final episode of series 1! We talk about our original aims for the podcast, building communities for those who are child free and we finish with a little surprise from Riannon to Courteney.Thank you to everyone who has listened along; it means a lot!References:Donath, O. (2017) Regretting Motherhood: A Study. North Atlantic Books. Childfree millennial Instagram: childfreemillenialto, L. (2019). Letters to Our Unborn Children. [online] Letters to Our Unborn Children. Available at: https://letterstoourunbornchildren.com/ Petter, O. (2018). Being a mother is equivalent to 2.5 full-time jobs, survey finds | The Independent. [online] The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/mother-equivalent-2-jobs-full-time-childcare-98-hours-work-mum-survey-a8258676.html?utm_campaign=lighteradlayout

It’s time to celebrate this way of life! In episode 5, we discuss a name and an identity for people like us. We hear about what’s been important in the lives and to the identities of our instagram followers, and we share what we are excited about for our futures. P.s. you might want a pen and pad ready!References: Heti, S. (2018) Motherhood. Penguin Random House. Magennis, C. (2024) Harpy A Manifesto For Childfree Women. Icon Books Ltd.Warrington, R. (2023) Women without Kids. Orion Spring.Rachel Cargle’s article: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-06-18/childfree-lonely-community-auntie-childrenWe can’t remember where we read the three types of women, but you can find more about Jody Day’s great work: https://gateway-women.comSofie Hagen instagram: Sofie Hagen (@sofiehagendk) • Instagram photos and videosInstagram · sofiehagendk173.7k+ followersScott, E. (2024). 32 Famous Women on Not Having Children. [online] Stylist.co.uk. Available at: https://www.stylist.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/child-free-famous-women-quotes-not-having-children/934723.

In this episode, we share our individual experiences of how we came to the conclusion that motherhood was not the right path for us.ReferencesDonath, O. (2017) Regretting Motherhood: A Study. North Atlantic Books. Heti, S. (2018) Motherhood. Penguin Random House.Warrington, R. (2023) Women without Kids. Orion Spring.

Is motherhood an expectation or a genuine choice? In this episode, we explore the cultural narratives that shape how we make the decision of whether to have children or not. Corrections cornerWe say Bruce Trotter from Matilda, this is definitely not his name! It’s Bruce Bogtrotter!When we discuss the statistics about Poland. Out of the 38 million Polish population, some of them will be children and young people! ReferencesFrizzell, N. (2021). The Panic Years. Flatiron Books.Jarosz, B. (2024). Are Millennials the Unluckiest Generation? [online] PRB. Available at: https://www.prb.org/articles/are-millennials-the-unluckiest-generation/.Piotrowski, K. (2021). How many parents regret having children and how it is linked to their personality and health: Two studies with national samples in Poland. PLOS ONE, 16(7), p.e0254163. doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254163.Van Der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York: Penguin Books.Warrington, R. (2023). Women Without Kids. Sounds True.Watling Neal, J. and Neal, Z.P. (2021). Prevalence and characteristics of childfree adults in Michigan (USA). PLOS ONE, [online] 16(6), p.e0252528. doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252528.

In this episode we discuss the question, why is it so hard to talk about not wanting children? We ask our Instagram followers, chat about some of the wider systems at play and suggest some things that make it easier to talk about this subject. ReferencesHagen, S. (2019) Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You. Harper Collins.Gallagher, J. (2020) Fertility rate: ‘jaw-dropping’ global crash in children being born, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53409521 (Accessed: 20 October 2025). Gallagher, J. (2020) Fertility rate: ‘jaw-dropping’ global crash in children being born, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53409521 (Accessed: 20 October 2025). Group, P.H.M. (2025) Births in England and Wales: 2024 (refreshed populations), Births in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/bulletins/birthsummarytablesenglandandwales/2024refreshedpopulations (Accessed: 20 October 2025). Ruby Warrington podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2w1mIHg2J1Zpd4qwCwItPx?si=u8JGm0GsQQOF3hFLQSBzmg

This is our pilot episode :-) We talk about the creation of our podcast, our inspiration, waffle on about some other stuff, and talk about what we hope to achieve with ‘Welcome to Otherhood’.And just to reassure you - we have bought decent equipment by Episode 2!ReferencesDonath, O. (2017) Regretting Motherhood: A Study. North Atlantic Books. Heti, S. (2018) Motherhood. Penguin Random House.Warrington, R. (2023) Women without Kids. Orion Spring. The colonisation of imagination (Referenced in Orna Donath’s work) - Diana Tietjens Meyers, “The Rush to Motherhood: Pronatalist Discourse and Women’s Autonomy,” signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 26, no. 3 (2001): 735-773.

Hello!Welcome to Otherhood - a podcast exploring how for some women motherhood is not necessary. Enjoy!