BABY FOMO OR GLOW SOLO? PARENTING FOMO, FREEDOM GLOW, AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF CHILDFREE AND CHILDLESS WOMEN IN MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51200/sapj.v14i1.7910Keywords:
Parenting FOMO, Freedom Glow, childfree women, childless women, fertility declineAbstract
Background: Malaysia's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has fallen below replacement level, yet fertility decline is increasingly shaped by women's conscious reproductive re-evaluation rather than solely economic or biomedical factors. This study examines the psychological dimensions of non-motherhood through two emergent constructs: Parenting Fear of Missing Out (Parenting FOMO)- anxiety about foregone parenting experiences and Freedom Glow- emotional relief and self-definition from rejecting normative maternal expectations. The objective of this study is To explore how childfree (voluntary non-parenthood) and childless (involuntary non-parenthood) women in Malaysia negotiate emotional well-being, social pressure, and identity within a pronatalist socio-cultural context. Qualitative phenomenological design with in-depth semi-structured interviews. Nine women (aged 28–45) were purposively sampled across childfree (n=5) and childless (n=4) identities. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021) identified patterns of emotional experience, autonomy, and social negotiation. Three themes emerged: (i) Freedom Glow-emotional relief, bodily autonomy, and enhanced self-definition, predominant among childfree women; (ii) Parenting FOMO-grief, incompleteness, and fear of missing socially valued
experiences, concentrated among childless women; and (iii) Normative Motherhood Pressure-familial expectations, moral judgment, and stigma affecting both groups differentially. Childfree women demonstrated higher psychological well-being (autonomy, environmental mastery, self-acceptance) aligned with Self-Determination Theory, while childless women experienced identity disruption and chronic grief resembling prolonged bereavement. Fertility decline in Malaysia reflects evolving psychological landscapes, not merely economic constraints. Women's reproductive e trajectories whether chosen or circumstantial demand gender-sensitive, non-judgmental policy frameworks that recognize autonomy, address unmet psychosocial needs, and move beyond motherhood-centric family ideologies.
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