Choosing childfree : the experiences of women in Malta

Abstract

This study explores the experiences of women in Malta who voluntarily choose to live childfree, situating their decisions within a sociological framework that considers personal choice alongside prevailing pronatalist ideologies in a context of very low fertility. Malta, like other Southern European countries, has experienced a sharp decline in birth rates and now records the lowest fertility rate in Europe. This demographic shift forms the backdrop to recent pronatalist measures and renewed emphasis on childbearing. Broader structural changes, including expanded access to higher education, increased female participation in the labour market, and evolving gender relations, have reshaped life trajectories, enabling women to prioritise autonomy, careers, and reproductive choice. The study adopts an interpretivist qualitative approach that values the lived experience of childfree women. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews with 15 women aged 35 and over who had voluntarily chosen not to pursue motherhood while living in Malta. Thematic analysis was used to explore how participants construct identity, exercise agency, and navigate social expectations. Findings show that decisions to remain childfree stem from enduring self-awareness, careful reflection, and a desire to maintain autonomy, rather than from rejection of children or motherhood. Although participants described fulfilling lives without regret, their accounts also revealed persistent normative pressures, subtle stigma, and gendered expectations framing motherhood as compulsory and childfree lives as deviant. While these women exercise agency, their choices remain negotiated within enduring cultural, familial, and institutional constraints.