Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

The project concentrates on analysing the phenomenon of childlessness in Czech society. In addition to studying involuntary childlessness, the research also examines the voluntary choice of not having children. Emphasis is placed on the study of life strategies and the conditions and identities of childless men and women of three age categories. The core phase of the project is a qualitative research study built on in-depth, semi-standardised interviews carried out in the first year and repeated in the third year. Childlessness is studied comprehensively and involves a socio-demographic analysis of developments in the number and structure of people without children, along with media analysis and secondary analysis of quantitative sociological data concerning family life and the reproductive behaviour of the Czech population. The research study contributes to the existing knowledge of childlessness from the perspectives of both content and methodology.