As we move into elderhood without motherhood, we are faced by the trifecta of ageism, pronatalism and sexism and, depending on our individual experiences, probably a few other isms too, such as racism, ablesim and homophobia. All of these hierarchical systems of othering seek to rob us of our birthright of worthiness, and serve to silence, disconnect and disempower us.

We have to wonder why would society seek to undermine us in such a way? If we allow ourselves to get curious, who or what does our diminishment serve? Certainly not us! And neither does it serve the needs of younger childless women who desperately need examples of both ordinary and extraordinary older childless women living their lives without shame.

HOSTED BY Jody Day – Ireland – World Childless Week Ambassador

Jody Day is the founder of Gateway Women, the advocacy and support organisation for childless not by choice women. A psychotherapist, she’s the author of Living the Life Unexpected and her TEDx talk, ‘The Lost Tribe of Childless Women,’ has been watched 230K times. She was a founding and former board member at the UK charity Ageing Without Children, and has been a World Childless Week Ambassador since the beginning. Now in her sixties, her focus has turned towards ‘elderhood without motherhood’, which she explores on her Substack, Gateway Elderwomen. She has been hosting the ‘Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen’ webinars since 2020, and you can watch the archive here. She lives in rural Ireland and is managed by a small cheeky terrier called Puffin.

Jody will be joined by The #NomoCrones, a group of not-mothers from all over the world that Jody gathers around the Zoom Fire. What does ‘NOMOCRONE’ mean? Well, nomo = not-mother and crone hasn’t always been an insult!

Faith Agugu (AUS/UK): Psychotherapist and the founder of Silver Sirens, an Australian organisation that empowers women 50+ to redefine ageing.

Dr Stella Duffy OBE (UK/NZ): Former WCW Ambassador. Existential psychotherapist; lecturer; novelist; playwright; yoga teacher

Dr Gayle Letherby (UK): WCW Champion. Feminist sociologist; visiting professor; freelance academic; memoirist

Jean Basson (UK): Former educator and teacher, trainer and advisor; former carer for her mother; co-founder of AWOC Leeds (2015) and an AWOC (Ageing without Children) Trustee

Maria Hill (USA): Maria is an author, HSP thought leader, and trained life/cultural frameworks coach. She writes at A Different Dream on Substack.

Kate Kaufmann (USA): Author ‘Do You Have Kids? Life When the Answer Is No’; Psychology Today columnist with ‘Unapparent’

Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos (USA): WCW Champion. An award-winning journalist, researcher and truth-teller about the realities and the aftermath of ART (assisted reproductive technology). Author of the first life-after-failed-IVF memoir, Silent Sorority (2009).

Stephanie Raffelock (USA): Award-winning novelist; poet; essayist; creative writing teacher. Women’s rights advocate.