Presently, marriage does not necessarily involve a project of bearing children. This phenomenon is due to changes occurred in the transition from the traditional model of family to the new configurations: either the pursuit of child bearing alternatives when there are no biological possibilities of conceiving, or the opposite, voluntary childlessness. The aim of this article is to study the social pressure and stereotypes associated to a couple's choice of having no children, and marital relationship. The research methodology used was clinical-qualitative, in which interviews were conducted with four heterosexual childfree couples, in the metropolitan area of São Paulo. According to the results, all couples reported the existence of social pressure and stigmatization towards them, due to their reproductive choices. Each one of those couples was impacted and reacted to this phenomenon in different ways, depending on the marital bond.
Chidlessness; stigma; marriage