Life stories of older adults without children: reflections on childlessness and loneliness throughout the life course

Children are an important component in the lives of older adults, including in terms of social networks and care. Nevertheless, previous research from Flanders shows that older adults without children are not lonelier compared to older adults with children (Stegen et al., 2025). As this runs counter to a widely held intuitive assumption, the present study seeks to gain a better understanding of why adults aged 60 and over without children do not experience higher levels of loneliness than their counterparts with children. Which themes in their life narratives provide insight into how they experience, or do not experience, feelings of loneliness? We conducted life story interviews with twelve older adults without children. Because we specifically asked about it during the interviews, loneliness is the leading theme of this study. Yet loneliness is related to four other themes that emerged: being able to make space for other things, feeling socially excluded, acceptance, and meaning through other children. Linked to these themes, the participants experienced a duality of feelings: more negative feelings and wordings (e.g. "missing out" or "not belonging"), therefore alternated with positive experiences and opportunities (e.g. "relief" or "freedom"). Older people without children are a very heterogeneous group, with a lot of different views on their life without children and its impact on well-being. Childlessness is part of a person's life course, but it is not always decisive in people's experiences and life events.