Reconceiving Women: Separating Motherhood from Female Identity

This is one of the most intelligent books on childless and childfree women that I've ever read. Despite being a little dense and relying too much on psychoanalytic theory (I would very much have liked to see some discussion of Adlerian psychology on this topic), this is a strong exploration of the topic. It discusses and provides sympathetic examples of women who do not have children for various reasons, and analyzes why childless women are so disturbing to society. This is a solidly academic book, but is worth reading if you're genuinely interested. Much better than other books I've read.

I sat down, opened this book and did not put it down until I was finished. Even then, I re-read three chapters. This book is a neccessary read for those of us without children, struggling to find our purpose in the world.

This is another great book that supports women who choose to not have children. The author theorizes that women can fall into one of three catagories (or a combination thereof): Traditional, Transitional, and Transformative. Pyschological theories abound and there are personal stories about real women. There's a little too much Freud for my taste - but it does help the reader get the full picture not only from the author's view, but from ordinary women and the world of psychology as well. This book is a little more in-depth than some other books on the subject -it's not a quick read- but is well worth the time invested. I think psychology and women's studies students - even if they don't agree witht the content - should read this book. I really hope the author is right when she talks about a future day when people will shudder in disbelief at the cruel stereotypes that were directed at childfree women - just as we do now at past thinking that a woman not married by the age of 25 was an old spinster!