55: My So-Called Selfish Life with Therese Shechter

Documentary film-maker, Therese Shechter, paid a visit to the podcast this week to discuss her most recent passion project, “My So-Called Selfish Life”. Therese considers herself to be on the child-free end of the spectrum but her film appeals to the childless-not-by-choice and by-choice alike.

Since recording this episode, Therese gave me the opportunity to watch the film and I have to say, it’s excellent! There were so many layers and nuances covered in the film, I need to watch it again so I can catch anything I missed the first time around!

Together, Therese and I discuss how similar the experiences of all childless women seem to be when it comes to the judgment and societal beliefs we face. We go deep on our sense of value as childless (or child-free) women, especially as we begin to enter perimenopause. We talk about the concept of pronatalism and the profound effect it has had on our culture and beliefs.

There is so much learning and food for thought in Therese’s film and you’ll get a great little taste of it in this episode.

Here are some of the highlights:

16:50 – find out about the film and the topics discussed

22:13 – how are the concerns of the childless-not-by-choice woman address in the film

29:30 – going through menopause as a childless woman

31:10 – we discuss menopause and the beliefs about worth that society throws at us when we reach this stage of life

41:00 – the concept of pronatalism and how it has affected society

50:00 – the things that really connect us no matter how you identify (childless or childfree)

53:59 – how society wants you to fall into the traditional so-called family unit

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts!

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