Childless
by Zuzana
Every year I see more and more of my friends marrying and starting families. I myself remain childless and as the years go by, and I think more and more about what it means. This has led me to explore this topic photographically.
Over time, I have found that there is a secret world of childless women full of fragility and uncertainty. Many of them did not want to share it in the presence of my camera. They felt as if the absence of a child meant they had failed some life mission and it was difficult to identify with the theme for them. That is why some of the stories are not included in these pictures.
However, I also found women who made a conscious decision to not have a child and feel comfortable with this choice. They prefer to take care of their own lives and they don’t carry the burden of a failure inside. When asked about being “childless", they rather call themselves “childfree”.
One way or the other, fashion, advertising and media proclaim that childlessness is an emancipated way of living a modern life. However, when asked about their feelings, I found that the majority of childless women between the age of 35 to 45 replied they have felt stigmatised for waiting until later life to start a family.
by Zuzana
Every year I see more and more of my friends marrying and starting families. I myself remain childless and as the years go by, and I think more and more about what it means. This has led me to explore this topic photographically.
Over time, I have found that there is a secret world of childless women full of fragility and uncertainty. Many of them did not want to share it in the presence of my camera. They felt as if the absence of a child meant they had failed some life mission and it was difficult to identify with the theme for them. That is why some of the stories are not included in these pictures.
However, I also found women who made a conscious decision to not have a child and feel comfortable with this choice. They prefer to take care of their own lives and they don’t carry the burden of a failure inside. When asked about being “childless", they rather call themselves “childfree”.
One way or the other, fashion, advertising and media proclaim that childlessness is an emancipated way of living a modern life. However, when asked about their feelings, I found that the majority of childless women between the age of 35 to 45 replied they have felt stigmatised for waiting until later life to start a family.
