As discussed in my first article about married couples who choose not to have children, there is some controversy over which is the correct terminology to use to describe a couple who does not want children.
There are basically two terms that society uses to describe couples without children. Those two terms are childfree and childless.
During my research, I came across arguments for and against both terms. Those arguments were made by those who had children and those who wished not to have children.
My last article was addressed toward the term childfree and the arguments that I found against the term.
In this article I will turn my focus to the word childless. In most cases the word childless is thought to describe couples who wish that they had children but cannot have children.
It is thought that the word childless (from using the suffix less) is a negative term that describes a void or an absence in the couple’s life. Couples who do not want children do not feel that they are missing anything by not having them. Therefore they worry that the term applies a negative tone to their marriage and they prefer the word childfree (which seems to indicate that the couple is not upset by not having children but relieved.)
Laura S. Scott, author of soon to be published book and creator of the Childless by Choice Project, prefers to be called childless. However she notes that she has meet couples who choose not to have children that refer to themselves using both terms.
The terminology that couples use to describe themselves seems to be a personal preference. This can be seen when using other labels in society. Persons with disabilities, of various races, and of various religions all have terms that they feel are appropriate for labeling themselves.