Social aspects of childlessness experiences in midlife and late adulthood: a scoping review

Despite its increasing prevalence worldwide, ageing without children remains insufficiently studied. This article presents a scoping review of existing qualitative research examining the social aspects of childlessness in midlife and later adulthood. A total of 3444 papers were retrieved from nine electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL Complete, APA PsycINFO, SocINDEX, Academic Search Complete, Humanities International Complete, Scopus, and Embase) and supplemented with a grey literature search using Google Scholar. Twenty-five articles were included. Four interconnected themes were found to relate to the experiences of childless adults in midlife and later adulthood: (1) living within structural contexts highlights how social norms, life course disadvantages, and policy frameworks affect well-being, access to services, and parenthood possibilities; (2) navigating care and support captures the varied ways childless adults access support through informal and formal care systems; (3) making sense of childlessness focuses on how individuals interpret their childless status; and (4) carving out control describes how individuals adapt to non-parenthood. These findings demonstrate the diversity, complexity, and evolving nature of childlessness experiences among middle-aged and older adults. However, this review also revealed several gaps in the existing literature, highlighting areas for future examination, such as experiences of childlessness among LGBTQ + individuals, how policy frameworks shape lived experiences, and how targeted support interventions may address the needs of childless populations.