Beyond Pronatalism | Finding fulfillment, with or without kids

Growing up in the counterculture of the 1960s, Sarah felt alienated when her peers embraced the traditional path of marriage and family, while she pursued a life of scholarship. Pulled by the strength of pronatalism, she briefly experimented with marriage only to realize that path was not for her. In her book, Pronatalism: Discourses and Counterdiscourses, Sarah examines the pronatalist tropes that shape women's lives, from the "biological clock" to "having it all." Now retired, Sarah enjoys her life as a "nother" and the stimulation and community bonds of her Brooklyn neighborhood.  See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/sarah-benesch Interested in being on the show? Submit your story here: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast.   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews people from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet by confronting pronatalism and other harmful ideologies. Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024-2026 Population Balance

Raised in a conservative Christian family in Germany, David was raised with the belief that marriage and children were inevitable, an assumption he carried into his relationships despite privately questioning the morality of procreation. When he learned that his fertility was severely impaired, he felt an unexpected sense of relief. As his concerns about climate change, animal suffering, and an uncertain future intensified, David committed to his childfree convictions, underwent a vasectomy, and now works as a vegan advocate. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/david Interested in being on the show? Submit your story here: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast.   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews people from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet by confronting pronatalism and other harmful ideologies. Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024-2026 Population Balance

Alex grew up immersed in the pronatalism of suburban family life, and she assumed marriage and motherhood were in her future. Now married, a recent health diagnosis has complicated her plans to conceive. Alex's strong environmental values, minimalist approach to consumption, and desire for 'slow travel' have kept her and her husband open to the possibilities of a fulfilling childfree life.  See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/alex Interested in being on the show? Submit your story here: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast.   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews people from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet by confronting pronatalism and other harmful ideologies. Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024-2026 Population Balance

Therese grew up assuming marriage and motherhood were simply part of her future, even though she sensed from early adulthood that neither felt right for her. It wasn't until she was 40, as she became a documentary filmmaker with her first film, I Was a Teenage Feminist, that she realized she was already living a fulfilling life. That awakening led her to examine — with meticulous research and a strong dose humor — the powerful influence of pronatalism in other films, including her most recent documentary, My So-Called Selfish Life. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/therese-shechter Interested in being on the show? Submit your story here: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast.   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews people from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet by confronting pronatalism and other harmful ideologies. Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024-2026 Population Balance

Nathan knew from a young age that he never wanted children, a resolve that only got stronger as he woke up to pronatalism in college. Now in his late 30s and in a committed childfree relationship, Nathan values the freedom that being childfree allows him — from reflecting in solitude and going on long bike rides with his partner, to enriching his political awareness and writing about social justice and animal rights.  See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/nathan Interested in being on the show? Submit your story here: https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast.   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews people from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet by confronting pronatalism and other harmful ideologies. Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024-2026 Population Balance