Adi Avivi, Psy.D.
2008 Incoming Class
Internship: Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY
September 2013 Conferral
Internet Communication Among Childfree Women
Chair: Danielle Knafo, Ph.D.
Negative views toward voluntary childlessness, or rather, childfree life, has been apparent ever since the issue started receiving academic attention in the 1970s. Women who live childfree are often challenged and judged with regard to that aspect of their life. The need to justify one’s choices creates on-going self exploration and a formation of an insightful identity. A supportive other, curious and accepting, is often needed to address aspects of the self that are less socially normative. Women in particular had to fight for changing norms and being accepted when choosing something other than the common image of womanhood (Houseknecht, 1977; Houseknecht, 1979). In a world progressively electronic, when online interaction is dominating communication in the western world, what is the place of the internet and its platforms for women who live childfree? Is discussing their childfree lifestyle online inherently different than in other social settings? A qualitative research methodology developed by Auerbach and Silverstein (2003) was employed, with five focus groups of childfree women who are active in online childfree communities. These groups were conducted in the form of online message boards and participants discussed the affect of Internet communication on their lives as childfree women. The five message boards produced insight into how the participants have been affected by using online childfree resources. Psychodynamic intersubjective theory was used to inform the qualitative narrative that emerged from the group online discussions. Recommendations were developed from this narrative for mental health providers who might give services to childfree women.