What is this grief? And why are we so silent about it?

These are just two of the questions that Sian Prior, a former columnist for The Age, set out to answer in her new book, Childless: A Story of Freedom and Longing. In this episode, we discuss the long road to acceptance faced by a rising tide of women in the West who wanted children but didn’t have them.

Hosted by Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland, this intensely personal, one-on-one discussion examines the particular grief and deep reckoning that comes with wanting a child and not having one, but also the unfair labels lobbed at childless women, including “selfish” or “careerist”.

You can read an excerpt from Sian's book here.

Become a subscriber: our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe https://subscribe.theage.com.au/ or https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

What is this grief? And why are we so silent about it?
These are just two of the questions that Sian Prior, a former columnist for The Age, set out to answer in her new book, Childless: A Story of Freedom and Longing. In this episode, we discuss the long road to acceptance faced by a rising tide of women in the West who wanted children but didn&rsquo;t have them.
Hosted by Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland, this intensely personal, one-on-one discussion examines the particular grief and deep reckoning that comes with wanting a child and not having one, but also the unfair labels lobbed at childless women, including &ldquo;selfish&rdquo; or &ldquo;careerist&rdquo;.
You can read an excerpt from Sian's book <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/conceiving-a-different-life-one-woman-s-painful-acceptance-of-her-childless-future-20220120-p59pvc.html">here</a>.
Become a subscriber: our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe&nbsp;<a href="https://subscribe.theage.com.au/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://subscribe.theage.com.au/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1645841044911000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2iPhceSpLmP4ohXg0QlBjQ">https://subscribe.theage.com.au/</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://subscribe.smh.com.au/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://subscribe.smh.com.au/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1645841044911000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Q2yk8d5VBYKwsUOr2AuZ-">https://subscribe.smh.com.au/</a>

Good Weekend Talks features in-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts, business and beyond, interviewed weekly by the country's top journalists. Consider it a magazine for your ears.

Good Weekend Talks features in-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts, business and beyond, interviewed weekly by the country's top journalists. Consider it a magazine for your ears.

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