Reimagining the village: Alloparenting and community involvement among the childfree

Abstract

Many stigmas circulate regarding the voluntarily childless (childfree). As such, the positive roles these individuals play in the lives of children are often overlooked. This chapter provides a brief sociohistoric background of the childfree, as well as an evolutionary explanation of parenting, detailing the importance of alloparents and allomaternal care in the raising of human offspring. By combining this knowledge, an understanding unfolds of childfree individuals as alloparents in the world around them. By supporting parents and children, it becomes clear that the childfree actively engage as nonparent caregivers in their community - and as such, reimagine the village that raises the child.