Childlessness: From the Therapy Room to the Policy Arena
April 26, 2022
Hosted by Christine Erickson
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
What does the grief process look like for those who are childless? In what ways does the experience of childless impact people in their everyday lives and in the workplace? Today we will learn more from two therapists, about the childless experience. Judy Graham and Sarah Roberts will share their experiences of childlessness, and their unique approach, as grief therapists, who serve childless women. They have worked collaboratively to identify similar threads, related to the social and cultural experiences of childless women, and will share their collective expertise around the relationship between the individual experience and the shared experience of being childless. Through their therapy practices, professional histories, and aligned community activism, they have also worked to develop Childlessness Australia, a Childless Not By Choice (CNBC), national self-advocacy organization. Childlessness Australia advocates for the visibility, rights, wellbeing and inclusion of involuntary childless people in Australia. Sarah and Judy will share their vision, and efforts to date.
New Legacy Radio
Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
New Legacy Radio is a social justice platform about people without children. This space is intended to bring visibility and change to our experiences, to connect with our allies and anyone committed to learning more from our community, which is reaching an estimated one-third of the global population. The show addresses the social, systemic, and structural realities perpetuated by reproductive and relational identity bias. We discuss the impact of pronatalist behavior and policies, through the perspectives of our community and allies, as we work to achieve meaningful change that recognizes the truly diverse, intersectional continuum of our experiences. New Legacy Radio is brought to you by New Legacy Institute (NLI), which is policy institute, focused on the global culture and impact of pronatalism. The Institute’s social justice advocacy serves the growing, global community of people without children. NLI’s mission is to generate constructive change in cultural, organizational, and institutional policies that exhibit biases against people without children.
Christine Erickson
Christine Erickson (she/her) is the founder of New Legacy Institute. The Institute’s purpose is to advocate for change around social realities and policy inequities faced by those who do not have children. Christine is involuntarily childless by circumstance (cxc), and touched on her experiences in her award-winning book, The Mother Within: A Guide to Accepting Your Childless Journey. (2015) A revised edition is forthcoming. Her current writing focuses on the unacknowledged impact of women who are childless/childfree due to circumstances. Christine is dedicated to advancing the diverse narratives and experiences of people without children. She is a staunch advocate of our community’s equitable inclusion and belonging in the workplace, media & entertainment narratives, and making visible the ways in which our community is impacted by culture and policy, and the change we seek. As an executive and entrepreneur, she has lived and worked globally, for the majority of her career. She is an experienced executive coach, leadership educator, and the founder of the Center for Consent-Driven Leadership. She is writing a forthcoming book: Consent-Driven: Rethinking the Culture of Leadership. Christine is an advocate for justice reform in family law and court procedures, involuntary pro se representation, and multifaceted accountability regarding violence against women. She has also consulted on international women’s law and development, gender equity and healthcare access initiatives.
