EMMA’S REVIEW: Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother

★★★★☆ Overview Despite its title, Without Children: The long history of not being a mother is, at its core, about mothering and the various types of motherhood: postponed, denied, unrealized, created, and sometimes, unwanted. While it is not a historical perspective on childless and childfree women, some examples are featured throughout. Written by Peggy O’DonnellContinue reading “EMMA’S REVIEW: Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother”

EMMA’S REVIEW: Citizen Reporters, by Stephanie Gorton

When I first caught sight of Ida Tarbell’s name and photo on the cover of Citizen Reporters: S.S. McClure, Ida Tarbell, and the Magazine That Rewrote America, by Stephanie Gorton, I was immediately intrigued, because the fierce and determined 19th-century investigative journalist is one of the subjects that I’ve chosen to feature in a bookContinue reading “EMMA’S REVIEW: Citizen Reporters, by Stephanie Gorton”

Podcasts, Appearances, and Mentions

Passionate about childfree issues and women’s history, I’m grateful to have been invited to discuss those two subjects on the following podcasts: Galentine’s Day Trivia – Co-host February 2023 For this year’s Galentine’s Day, I had the honor to co-host a trivia game about famous childfree and childless women for Lighthouse Women, an online communityContinue reading “Podcasts, Appearances, and Mentions”

The Importance of Identifying Childfree and Childless Women Through History

When I started this project, over two years ago, I wanted to see how many women without children I could find. I wanted to get a sense of how prevalent (or not) it might have been in the past not to marry and/or not to have children. Until the 20th century, most women who hadContinue reading “The Importance of Identifying Childfree and Childless Women Through History”

Researching Single Women’s History – First Steps

Starting the research on the history of single women with history books that include the keywords “single” or “spinster” in the title