Book Talk: Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood, with Ruby Warrington

Come to a new TC Fall Book Talk Series that explores the reproductive lifespan trajectory with a focus on reproductive identity and the process of becoming a mother, known as "matrescence." Yet, what about not becoming a mother;  how women bond; and why childless women encourage a new perspective on womanhood? We will explore this in our first book talk on Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood (Sounds True, 2023), with Ruby Warrington.

"Foregoing motherhood has traditionally marked a woman as 'other.'With no official place setting for her in our society, she has hovered on the sidelines: the quirky girl, the neurotic career obsessive, the 'eccentric' aunt. Instead of continuing to paint women without kids as sad, self-obsessed, or somehow dysfunctional, what if we saw them as boldly forging a first-in-a-civilization vision for a fully autonomous womankind? Or as journalist and thought leader Ruby Warrington asks, What if being a woman without kids were in fact its own kind of legacy?

Taking in themes from intergenerational healing to feminism to environmentalism, this personal look and anthropological dig into a stubbornly taboo topic is a timely and brave reframing of what it means not to be a mom. Our experiences and discourse around non-motherhood are central to women’s ongoing fight for gender equality. And whether we are childless by design or circumstance, we can live without regret, shame, or compromise.

Bold and tenderhearted, Women Without Kids seeks first and foremost to help valorize a path that is the natural consequence of women having more say about the choices we make and how our lives play out. Within this, it unites the unsung sisterhood of non-mothers—no longer pariahs or misfits, but as a vital part of our evolution and collective healing as women, as humans, and as a global family."

-- publisher's description

Ruby Warrington is a British-born author, editor, and publishing consultant. Recognized as a true thought leader in the wellness space, Ruby has the unique ability to identify issues that are destined to become part of the cultural narrative. Her previous books include Material Girl, Mystical World; Sober Curious; and The Sober Curious Reset.

Moderating discussion is Dr. Aurelia Athan, a clinical psychologist and Research Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Athan's research interests embrace Maternal Psychology: Matrescence & Maternal Mental Health, Perinatal Risk & Resilience, and  Reproductive Psychology: Reproductive Identity Formation and 
Reproductive Life Planning & Decision-Making. The author of numerous articles, her Ph'D is entitled, Postpartum Flourishing: Motherhood as Opportunity for Positive Growth and Self-Development (Columbia University, 2011). Dr. Athan is the founder of the Maternal and Reproductive Psychology Lab at Teachers College.

Where: 306 Russell / Online

This book talk is co-sponsored by KHORA; the Teachers College Maternal and Reproductive Psychology Lab; and Gottesman Libraries.

Persons interested in attending in person may use the Register button at the bottom of this page. Persons wishing to attend online may register here for Zoom details.

Upcoming :

Touched Out: Motherhood, Misogyny, Consent, and Control, with Amanda Montei, Tuesday, 9/25, 5-6pm

Mom Rage: The Everyday Crisis of Modern Motherhood, with Minna Dubai, Monday, 10/2, 5-6pm