Consumer Choice in the Age of Ecological Crises: Understanding the Implications of Voluntary Childlessness and its Consequences for Consumer and Societal Well-Being

Abstract:

This research project aims to study how voluntary childlessness (Blackstone and Stewart, 2012; Edwards, 2016) has emerged as a response and consequence to the ecological crises and the rise of eco-anxiety. We use multiple theoretical perspectives and interpretive methodologies to address TCR-related issues around voluntary childlessness – such as vulnerability and gender inequality – and their interrelations in the age of ecological crises to increase consumer and societal well-being (Davis and Pechmann, 2013). With this project, we intend to co-produce both theoretical insights and actionable knowledge through the organization of a workshop with diverse stakeholders involved in environmental issues to discuss issues related to voluntary childlessness such as overpopulation and its relation to overconsumption, and the fear of having children in the Anthropocene