Laurie Lisle

Without Child: Challenging the Stigma of Childlessness
Ballantine Books, 1996
Taylor & Francis/​Routledge
Published in Taiwan

Book Reviews
"Laurie Lisle, by telling her own story and struggle of living childless in a child bearing world, has given a voice to all of us...This is not only an excellent book, but a true act of courage. It is also a fascinating exploration and sociological study into the lives of women who choose not to have children...She bravely and unapologetically talks about issues heretofore rarely discussed...one feels the electricity and importance of these facts, and they jump from the page right into your lap...After reading Without Child, I am armed with fact and knowledge that there were others before me who fought this stigma, and I will proudly continue the fight." Stephanie Dickison, Canadian Women's Studies

“The ‘rejection of parenthood,’ as the author of this carefully researched study found, ‘is a delicate and even dangerous topic.’ Lisle speaks for herself and the generation of women who came of age in the 1970s who are childless for a variety of reasons, but often by choice...Lisle pierces some of the myths and stereotypes that surround non-mothers. She reveals a long and laudable history of women without progeny, and indicated that there has been ambivalence in mothers and non-mothers alike about their roles. As an advocate for a misunderstood minority, she points to the many ways a woman’s childlessness, often perceived as selfish, can promote and nurture life-enhancing relationships." Publisher’s Weekly

“At last, an intelligent analysis of the powerful societal pressure upon women to become mothers, and a searching description of how the decision not to bear a child may result from any number of choices, neither selfish nor irrational. The enormous contribution of childless women to our cultural heritage is astonishing, but we have rarely drawn intelligent conclusions from this fact. Laurie Lisle has written a timely book assuring us that the true definition of womanhood need not include childbirth.” Carolyn Heilbrun, author of Writing a Woman’s Life

“Laurie Lisle has given us an eloquent and insightful discussion of childlessness and women who end up—by design or default—remaining without child. Personal and political, current and historical, the book examines the complicated choice all woman must make about motherhood. A wonderful read for mothers and non-mothers alike, a book that can bridge the gap that sometimes seems to exist between the two.” Anne Taylor Fleming, author of Motherhood Deferred: A Woman’s Journey

"Lisle's in-depth analysis of women without children encompasses anthropological, psychological, and sociopolitical perspectives...Her outstanding account will go a long way in stimulating further writing on this topic. This book is a must read for anyone interested in ensuring that women with and without children have freedom to pursue happiness as they themselves define it." Pamela W. Garner, Sex Roles: A Journal of Research

“Lisle’s groundbreaking volume combines personal, historical and sociological perspectives...Her struggle to understand her own motivations, including her reactions to all the negative connotations associated with this allegedly ‘unnatural’ or ‘selfish’ choice is an integral part of her illuminating and affirmative narrative. Lisle establishes a historical context for women without children, thus revealing a much neglected yet crucial aspect of women’s history. She also interprets studies about why women choose not to reproduce...Lisle’s invaluable overview is infused with sense and sensibility.” Booklist

"This book is a pleasure to read, seamlessly weaving together personal narrative with a variety of literary, historical, and cross-cultural examples of childessness and responses to it. Overall, the book is organized in relational terms, examining woman and childlessness in relation to 'maiden aunts' (or traditions of women outside motherhood), to women's own mothers, to real and imagined children, to men and heterosexuality, to 'Womanhood,' to work, and to maturity and aging." Abby Wilkerson, Hypatia

"Laurie Lisle's work...presents her own and other women's personal stories about being child-free in a complex and positive light." Carolyn Morell, Feminism & Psychology