This talk is currently only available to watch on Facebook here whilst it is being uploaded to TED.com You do not need to have a Facebook account to watch. The talk is 13 mins long, followed by a 45min Q&A.
My new TED talk with TEDxGateway is now live and available to watch. I wrote it to explore the negative bias against single non-mothers (both childless and childfree).
Covering a broad sweep across depth psychology, fairy tales, modern media stereotypes and individual lived experiences, it will encourage you to open your eyes, your heart, your organizations and your communities to the gifts and challenges that this fast-growing cohort of modern women embody. Presented with humour, empathy and data by the globally recognized thought-leader on childlessness – psychotherapist, author and founder of Gateway Women, Jody Day, this talk is aimed directly at one of your blind spots!
It includes 5 calls to action for parents, DEIB teams, politicians, policymakers, governments, climate and social justice moments, anti-ageism activists and those concerned about ageing populations and demographics.
You can download a full PDF transcript of the talk, including footnotes here.
My talk is followed by a 45-min discussion about some of the issues raised by my talk, and a list of recommended books, newsletters, articles, and podcasts about single non-mothers. Here are the ones I mention:
Academic paper:
- Sarah Lamb’s 2018 paper ‘Being Single in India: Gendered Identities, Class Mobilities and Personhoods in Flux’
- On being an Indian single woman: Sreemoyee Piu Kundu – Status Single: The Truth About Being a Single Woman in India
- On the experience of being childfree in India: Amrita Nandy Motherhood and Choice: Uncommon Mothers, Childfree Women
- For coming to terms with involuntary childlessness, for any reason, my own book: Jody Day (2020, 2nd Ed). Living the Life Unexpected: How to Find Hope, Meaning and a Fulfilling Future Without Children. UK: Bluebird/PanMacmillan
- On being a single woman in a toxic dating culture: Shani Silver (2021) ‘A Single Revolution: Don’t Look for a Match, Light One‘. Shani is childfree by choice.
- Essays on singleness from around the world (including India): Angelica Malin (2022, editor) Unattached: Essays on Singlehood
- Memoir of being single and childfree in your 40s: ‘Self Contained” by Emma John (2021) UK: Cassell/Octopus
- On being an older single woman not-mother (nomo): Donna’s Ward (2020) She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations on Life. Australia: Allen & Unwin. You might also like to watch/listen/read the video interview I did with her about her book
- For single women: Nicola Slawson’s ‘The Single Supplement‘ newsletter (UK)
Nicola was a guest on a recent Gateway Women Masterclass ‘Revolutionizing Your Single Holidays‘ which was about being single at Christmas.
- ‘A Single Serving Podcast’ by Shani Sliver. Shani is single and childfree by choice (and empathic to all single women, mothers, childless, childfree, etc. I was a guest on Shani’s podcast in January 2021.
- The Full Stop Podcast – with Berenice, Sarah, And Michael. Although all 3 hosts are partnered, they are very sensitive to the many single women in the non-parent community. I did an interview with them in 2020 on being ‘Single and Childless in a Pandemic‘.
- New Legacy Radio with Christine Erickson – bringing together childless and childfree people to create systemic change. I was interviewed in March 2022 on ‘It’s Called International Women’s Day, Not International Mother’s Day‘
- Lighthouse Women (the new name for the Gateway Women Online Community) has members from all over the world and has a subgroup for unpartnered childless members which is 200+ strong.
www.gw-community.com
