A Preliminary Qualitative Study: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Malaysian Chinese Dual-Earner Married Couples Who Choose to Be Childfree

Abstract

With the gradual rise of dual-income no kids (DINK) couples globally, this study examines the lived experiences of Malaysian Chinese dual-earner married couples opting to be childfree, to understand how they come to the decision of opting childfree lifestyle, and how do they reconcile with it. Basic preliminary qualitative research was adopted, and spouses were interviewed individually. The findings have shown the couple’s decision was a unified gradual transition, with shared factors from the perceived challenges and influences of parenthood. Apart from the joy of embracing freedom in preferred lifestyle, the challenge of navigating societal expectations was significant at the early phase of marriage, with the couple observed to have buffered it away. Despite the recruitment of only one couple for this study may be considered a limitation, present study offered a preliminary glimpse for future study on the childfree literature in Malaysia context.