Value and Motivational Prerequisites and Subjective Grounds for Women’s Voluntary Childlessness

We have undertaken a comparative analysis of the characteristics of the value orientation of the personality, goal-based values, motivational trends, personal meanings (up to the extreme) of voluntarily childless women in comparison with women who have children or plan to have them (27–45 years old), with using a set of projective techniques.
\nIn addition, we studied the subjective grounds of voluntary childlessness using the methods of structured interviews, followed by a qualitative analysis.
\nThe overall data showed that the group of voluntarily childless women is significantly distinguished by some internal conditions that make it difficult to successfully adopt the internal position of a parent. Such conditions include the dominance of an individualistic value and motivational orientation of the individual and hedonistic orientation, as well as the least motivational tendencies reflecting the value of relationships and willingness to act in favor of others. Based on the materials of the interviews, five main types of subjective grounds for childlessness were identified