1 in 3 pregnancies end in miscarriage
1 in 5 women reach 45, childless
48.5 million couples are childless
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Stephanie Joy Phillips, a British woman, founded World Childless Week in 2017.
PRESS RELEASE
It’s an online global event to raise awareness and support the childless not by choice community.
In its initial week in September 2017 #worldchildlessweek was tweeted 1.2 million times (Twitter analytics).
In 2020 World Childless Week reached 97 countries (website Geography analytics).
This year World Childless Week will take place from 13th – 19th September. Each day explores a different element of being childless: our stories, childlessness and sexual intimacy, leaving a legacy, men matter too, have you considered adoption, we are worthy and moving forwards.
Of the women who reached the age of 45 years in 2017, 18% were childless at the end of their childbearing years compared to 10% a generation before (Office for National Statistics).
Whilst 10% are childless by choice, 10% are childless due to infertility and 80% childless due to circumstances (Keizer, R, 2010).
Stephanie says, “The childless are an unrecognised but large and growing minority that the world can no longer shy away from. World Childless Week enables childless men and women to speak out without fear of shame and judgement; to validate their grief and help them rediscover their worth. It is heartbreaking when people in their sixties and seventies contact me to say they were unaware support is available and reinforces the need to raise awareness”.
Stephanie is supported by the World Childless Week Ambassadors who are all childless not by choice and share the same determination to grow the awareness week.
The Ambassadors are based from across the world and represent diverse ethnicities, disabilities, genders and sexual orientation.
Jody Day, the Founder of Gateway Women, and an instigator of positive changes within the childless community, was one of the first World Childless Week Ambassadors.
Jody says, “One of the many hidden difficulties of involuntary childlessness can be social isolation. World Childless Week, by bringing together so many different people and organisations amplifies our voices and efforts; in doing so, it makes it more likely that someone struggling in silent grief finally discovers that they’re not alone. The lifesaving and life‐changing power of connection cannot be underestimated.”
If you would like to learn more please take a look at www.worldchildlessweek.net
Stephanie Joy Phillips
World Childless Week founder
Survey: https://surveyhero.com/c/66ad129b
References https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/conceptionandfertilityrates/bulletins/childbearingforwomenbornindifferentyearsenglandandwales/2017 Keizer, R. (2010) Remaining childless: Causes and consequences from a life course perspective, Utrecht, Utrecht University, p19-‐20.
