Foreword by Patricia MacCormack, PhD
The latest book by well-known, progressive activist Verena Brunschweiger on the growing childfree movement, its many positive benefits, and the conventional resistance to adopting this lifestyle.
Verena Brunschweiger is no stranger to controversy. In her latest book, Do Childfree People Have Better Sex?, our provocateur tackles this increasingly popular topic and its many ramifications, head-on. After conveying her own personal story, Brunschweiger expounds with data in hand on the implications of having children: the ecological and environmental consequences, feminism, politics, and philosophical disputation. She explores current issues including over-population and the environment, animal welfare, abortion and reproductive rights, politics, and anti-natalism. Brunschweiger posits women have the right to be happy and, if they choose to, feel comfortable rejecting the societal conventional pressure of having children. Our author suggests that women and their partners will have more freedom and enjoyment if they are childfree. Brunschweiger doesn’t want humanity to go extinct as some may suggest; rather, she wants the earth and its inhabitants to have an enjoyable and sustainable future.
“Brunschweiger’s feminist engagement is as instructive as it’s entertaining.”—Susanne Baller, Journalist, Stern
“The book Kinderfrei statt kinderlos. Ein Manifest by the medievalist Verena Brunschweiger is one of the most important publications criticizing society. Reading it is an enjoyment. It brings radical feminism back to the standard of the 1970s and shows who is most interested in pro-natalism: the state and capitalism.”—Dr. Clemens Heni, Director, Berlin International Center for the Study of Antisemitism
“Brunschweiger’s theses are important and worth pondering. They hurt, because they show that having kids is not only an individual decision, but has influence on the fate of every living creature.” —Marlen Hobrack, Journalist, Der Freitag
“What if instead of giving birth to children, more women chose to give birth to important ideas and projects, revolutionary inventions, inspiring art, or simply a fulfilling existence? Verena Brunschweiger passionately challenges patriarchal norms, discussing that there is obviously a wider range of roles women can play other than motherhood. But that’s not all—she explains how lower birth rates can better the world.”—Dr. Camila Perussello, Author of Food for Thought
“Verena Brunschweiger doesn’t want mankind to go extinct. On the contrary, she wants to make sure that there is a future, for people and in general. She tackles a taboo many environmentalists shy away from: the fact that reducing plastic doesn’t suffice if the population growth continues like this. It’s her merit to have brought this emotionally and politically difficult topic to everyone’s attention. The voluntary renunciation to procreate she propagates is based on ecological reasons. She presents these convincingly in the first part of her book, adding ethical and feminist points.”—Sacha Rufer, Book Reviewer, Umweltnetz-Schweiz
“I reviewed this delightfully thorough manuscript on the week in which results from a Pew Research Center survey were published, making the front pages of top US newspapers. The survey revealed that the number of US adults of childbearing age saying they are ‘not too likely’ to have children is on the rise and is now at 21% as compared to 16% in 2018. The more surprising result was the most common reason given: They just don’t want them.
“Ms. Brunschweiger’s new book pushes back on the concept that not wanting to be a parent is somehow a character flaw, a psychological disorder that can often be cured by having a ‘childless’ individual spend time around adoring little ones. Her frequent use of the term ‘childfree’ provides a refreshing read for non-parents, especially given the media’s continued insistence on referring to us as ‘childless.’ Ms. Brunschweiger argues that not only do we have better things to do, we also can feel good about not contributing to an overpopulated planet.
“The book is a must-read for childfree adults from all over the world, a comforting reminder that we share so many experiences, including: a) Being misunderstood, shunned, and demeaned for our choice; b) the vital experiences that result in having more time for living our lives, time for pleasure as well as for giving to our communities; c) being able to take comfort in the fact that we are contributing to saving the world in the only way that might truly make a difference.”—Ellen L. Walker, PhD, Author of Complete Without Kids
“Apart from the philosophical approach of anti-natalism she explains the advantages of a childfree relationship, in which other aspects than organizational ones are in the focus.”—Claudia Wangerin, Journalist, junge Welt