Forgoing Fatherhood: Why Men are Choosing not to Have Children

The rise of voluntary childlessness among men represents an important shift in family formation, yet research in this area continues to focus primarily on women. Drawing on 20 semi-structured interviews with childless men from Santiago de Chile, this article explores the experiences of men who opted for permanent sterilization as a strategy to forgo fatherhood. The findings show that orientation towards autonomy, individualism, and hedonism, alongside the pursuit of personal passions and projects, are key factors in men’s decision to forgo fatherhood. At the same time, concerns about time poverty, prohibitive living costs, fears of failing as a parent, and an uncertain future also emerge as decisive issues in their decision. These insights advance current scholarship on voluntary male childlessness by highlighting that reasons for forgoing fatherhood span from personal motivations to social and structural pressures, reflecting emerging societal changes and challenges around family formation.