How Older People Position Their Late-Life Childlessness: A Qualitative Study

This research explored how older people describe their paths to late-life childlessness. Indepth accounts from 38 childless older people, age 63 – 93, highlight the complex journeys and diverse meanings of childlessness for male and female participants, single and partnered, including some who had outlived children. Positioning theory is used to show how the conventional voluntary – involun…