cultivate friendships
with those who get it.
The gathering place for childless women and nonbinary people to connect.
cultivate friendships
You dreamt of parenthood,
but it never came –
and now, it’s hard to
envision what comes next.
Because honestly? This isn’t the life you planned.
It’s difficult to put your experience into words. And when you try, the people you typically go to for support don’t seem to fully understand the impact this is having on your life.
Not to mention that it feels like everyone you know has joined the parent’s club, leaving you unsure of where you fit in.
You know 1 in 5 women are childless, but where are they?
You daydream about connecting with those who understand your experience. Of conversations that don’t revolve around the daily details of parenting. A space free from pregnancy announcements and monthly photo montages of kids.
The support, validation, and mutual understanding of what it’s like to be childless in a sea of parents you’re seeking are out there. You’re just not sure where to look.
You don't have to go it alone.
You might be wondering...
IS IT JUST ME?
YOU'RE NOT ALONE, FRIEND.
We polled almost 400 childless people through Instagram and found that:
94%
Feel lonely in their experience of being childless.
58%
Don’t have any childless or childfree family members.
52%
Don’t have any childless or childfree friends online.
54%
Don’t have childless or childfree friends in their area they see in person.
63%
Don’t know of a childless or childfree person they can talk to.
62%
Don’t have anyone in their life who can fully sit with their grief.
Trust me, you’re not alone in this experience. Being childless is still considered taboo and the experience is misunderstood by many. Like any taboo, it can be hard to know what type of reaction you’ll get when you talk about it. And there aren’t enough safe spaces for us to connect around the challenges and the perks of an unexpectedly childless life.
There is a place for you to find the support, understanding, and validation you need in your childless experience.
Imagine the comfort & solidarity of being in a group
of childless people, all of whom are focused on
Friendship
Opportunities to cultivate new friendships and connections.
connection
Find others who share your experience, through a wide range of subgroups and discussion topics.
healing
A carefully curated and moderated environment to help you feel supported.
gatherings
Socialize through interactive, virtual events and in-person gatherings (where available).
conversation
Chat with members through forums and direct messaging.
inspiration
Find inspiration for your next steps through the stories and experience of our incredible members.
INTRODUCING the
Welcome to the gathering place designed just for us.
Inside the Childless Collective, you’ll find…
Virtual events
Join a variety of online events to connect with other members. Each month, we host: Childless Chats with special guest interviews on childless topics; New Member Welcomes; Community Cafés with no agenda, just space to chat; and social events designed for fun and connection. In addition to these calendar staples, you'll also have access to one-time events and events hosted in subgroups.
special interest groups
Connect with others who share similar interests, circumstances, and identities to you. Including private subgroups for those who are: Single; Jewish; Muslim; Christian; Childless Stepmoms; BIPOC; and those in the LGBTQ+ community.
trigger day support chats
We know that some days like Mother's Day, Mothering Sunday, and Christmas can be particularly challenging for those who are childless. On these days, we host round-the-clock chat support so members can connect throughout the day.
a sensitively curated environment
Our application process, including an ID-check, helps to ensure that members are who they say they are - so you can feel confident in the connections you make. Forums are moderated for safety and inclusivity.
Local gatherings
Meet up with others in your area through our member hosted gatherings (where available). Not seeing a local group? We provide the support you need to become a local host!
space for conversations
Make new connections through discussion feeds both in the main community and in our special interest groups. You also have the option to connect with individuals through direct messaging.
Community membership
$ 25
USD/mo
- FREE 30-DAY TRIAL
- PAY ANNUALLY AND GET 2 MONTHS FREE
APPLY NOW
* Subscriptions available in additional currencies:
$33CAD | $33AUD | €23EUR | £20 GBP
Sliding scale options available for those with financial need. Details included in the application process.
$33CAD | $33AUD | €23EUR | £20 GBP
Sliding scale options available for those with financial need. Details included in the application process.
Join Us
Being childless not by choice is an experience few understand. But, you don't have to go through this alone.
Welcome to a community
designed with you in mind.
Our Beginnings
The online community was created by Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women. Originally called the Gateway Women online community, it began and still remains the only ID-checked online community for permanently involuntarily childless women and nonbinary people in the world.
Over the past 10 years, it gained a reputation for being a trusted, kind, creative and confidential space to find support, understanding, and friendship online.
In July of 2022, the community moved to the stewardship of Katy Seppi, founder of the Childless Collective. Jody remains a member of the online community and hosts our Childless Elderwomen and Nomo subgroups there; all other areas of her writing and childless advocacy work continue with Gateway Women.
HI, I'm Katy, your community host
a bit about me
My four-year infertility journey ended with a hysterectomy in 2017. At the time, I didn’t have a single person I could talk to who was childless. It left me feeling alone and misunderstood.
In 2018, I started a blog and Instagram account called Chasing Creation. I hoped if I put my story out there, it would resonate with others going through the same thing. And it did! Over the next year, I made incredible connections with vibrant, smart, funny, amazing childless people.
Since then, I’ve connected with literally thousands of childless people. So many of them tell me they feel disconnected, alone, and unseen in their childless experience. I wanted to use my background in community organizing to find ways to bring them together, so they could experience the power of connection, like I have. My community work is now all under the name Childless Collective, and includes this online community, annual summits, and raising awareness anywhere I can.
While I still love hanging out on Instagram, the Childless Collective online community has become my new virtual home. I host most of our online events and you’ll find me hanging out in the discussion groups most days. I’m looking forward to connecting with you there.
In addition to founding the Childless Collective, I hold a Master’s of Social Work degree from the University of Georgia, with an emphasis in community empowerment and program development.
HI, I'm Sonia, your community manager
a bit about me
I joined the community in 2018 and started a Gathering for my area the same year. It was wonderful to connect with others who really got it and make new friends! Being part of the community was a refuge and also a place to explore the possibilities for what’s next.
My background is in academia, I have a PhD in Renaissance Literature and have taught in school and at university. My own chronic health condition meant I moved away from teaching and research and into working in well-being support for undergraduates and postgraduates at a major British University. I trained to deliver mindfulness and self-compassion programmes and this was an important part of my own healing.
I’m here to help with all aspects of your membership and getting the most out of the community.
You deserve to feel supported and seen.
A few months from now, you could be laughing with new friends at a virtual social hour, or meeting up for coffee in your town. Your heart feeling lighter through the connections you’ve created.
Join the Childless Collective today to start cultivating your friendships of tomorrow!
it's time to make the supportive, kind & empowering connections you've been daydreaming about.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few steps you’ll need to complete to finalize your membership. First, you’ll be asked to fill out an application and to provide a photo of a government-issued ID to confirm your identity. Next, you’ll need to set up your subscription. Once we have all your information, you’ll have access to the community within 24-72 hours.
Each month, we have multiple community events on the calendar. We do our best to stagger event timings so they are convenient for members in as many time zones as possible, including across the Americas, Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
The Childless Collective online community is hosted on the platform Mighty Networks, which allows you to connect with members near you. You have the option to turn this feature off if you prefer not to share your location. Some areas also have members that host local, in-person gatherings. We can’t guarantee there will be other members in your local community. If there aren’t members near you, you still have the option to connect through subgroups, topic chats and virtual events.
The online community is for women and nonbinary people who are permanently childless not by choice, due to any circumstances, and who have accepted a life without kids. The online community IS NOT for those who are still trying to conceive or pursuing paths to parenthood. Additionally, we respectfully request that you do not join the community if you are a childless coach, therapist, or service provider with current offerings for the childless community. If you are unsure whether it would be appropriate for you to join, or if you have a project you’d like to collaborate on with us, please email us first at hello@ChildlessCollective.com and we’d be happy to advise.
Membership fees are non-refundable; the only exception being that you may cancel a renewed subscription by contacting hello@ChildlessCollective within two (2) calendar days after renewal date and receive a full refund of the new subscription fees. You can also cancel your membership at any time through the customer hub.
Once your complementary trial period ends, your card will be charged the monthly or annual membership fee (depending on which option you selected). Your membership will automatically renew each subsequent month or year. You can cancel at any time.
Childless Collective community memberships are only open to permanently involuntarily childless women (inclusive of transgender women) and nonbinary people.
We require every user to provide a photo of a government-issued ID. This is to ensure that everyone who joins the community is who they say they are. This creates a safer environment for connections to happen! We use a secure, automated service to check ID’s. You can learn more about the company here. We can also verify your identity manually under certain circumstances. Please reach out to hello@ChildlessCollective.com with any questions.
The Childless Collective online community is a private community and is hosted on the platform Mighty Networks. We understands how sensitive childlessness is and we take very good care of your data. You can read more about the overall policy of Mighty Networks here. Please note that by requesting membership of our online community you will be added to our mailing list, you can request to be removed from this by emailing us at hello@ChildlessCollective.com or by clicking unsubscribe at the bottom of any email.
We offer a free 30-day trial, followed by a sliding scale of membership fees (all with the same level of access) so finances are never a barrier to accessing community support. You can select your membership fees during the application process. We are not funded by any public or private entity. We are entirely supported by our members. If you are a current member and would like to request support with your membership fees, please email us confidentially at hello@ChildlessCollective.com.
We offer many special interest subgroups including groups for those who are:
Single
Partnered
Jewish
Muslim
Christian
Childless Stepmoms
Those with Chronic Illness/Disability
Healing from Trauma
Highly Sensitive People
and private groups for
Women of Color
and those in the LGBTQ+ community
and groups by interest
Nomo Book Club
Writer’s Group
Entrepreneurs/Freelancers
Travel
and groups in
French
German
Spanish
Dutch
And this is just a highlight of our available groups.
