17. Marloes De Vries on Making a Conscious Childfree Choice

Join us for a conversation with Dutch writer, illustrator, and artist, Marloes de Vries. We discuss her book 'Kinderen krijg is optioneel' (Having Children is Optional) and Marloes' decision to be childfree.

You'll hear about:

• The pressures Marloes' felt from society and how she took time to reflect and be alone to solidify her decision.
  
  
• The importance of being true to yourself and finding contentment in your own company.
• The process of writing and illustrating her book and the need for more accessible and humorous resources on the topic of being childfree.
• Why women need to make conscious decisions about motherhood and to consider the impact it will have on their lives.
  
  
• The freedom and opportunities that come with being childfree, such as pursuing a career as an artist, as Marloes has done.
  
  
• A discussion about regretting your Kids or Childfree choice — including the messages she receives from parents

...and so much more.

As mentioned in the show:

Find out more about Marloes and her work at marloesdevries.com/en.

Get Marloes' book, Kinderen krijgen is optioneel at kinderenkrijgenisoptioneel.nl

Find Marloes on Instagram: instagram.com/marloesdevee/

About Marloes:

Here's Marloes in her own words...

"Artist and author, and a freelancer for over 25 years. Based in the Netherlands, in love with the UK. Been with my partner for almost 9 years (who's also childfree). In 2016 I wrote an article about not wanting to have children for a Belgian magazine, which went viral online. I got asked to write a book on it but wanted to wait a few years until I understood how I felt exactly, and I wanted to do a lot of research on this topic. I had already been reading up on the topic for quite a few years by then, but dove in deeper since then. I questioned over 250 people (mostly women) about being childfree, and did in-depth interviews with 12 women for my book. I've read pretty much every article I could find online on this topic, and researched sexism and feminism related to child bearing. Since my book was published in November 2023 (Kinderen krijgen is optioneel / Having children is optional) I've done many interviews, and am contacted regularly by the Dutch media as a consultant on the childfree topic. My main viewpoint is that everyone should be free to make the decision of becoming a parent, but I strongly believe everyone should mindfully think about it before making a decision. I also believe you should consider the life of your unborn child before getting pregnant, because this is a choice that goes beyond 'do I want kids?'. It isn't about you, it's about the human you're putting on this earth."

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