Abstract The norm of parenthood in a heteronormative union expects individuals to become parents as a preordained milestone in their life-course. This norm emanates from the ideology of pronatalism that promotes procreation for the well-being of the individual, family and society. The present paper is set against varying yet converging manifestations of pronatalistism in India and Canada, as evident in the dominant discourses on family forms, and policies that reinforce the hegemony of the heteronormative nuclear family. Drawing on the conjoint narratives of thirty-six childfree couples based in cities of India and Canada, we explore the diverse processes that ultimately result in the decision to forego parenthood. The cross-cultural similarities and dissimilarities among various decision making pathways in turn reveal the complex interplay between individual agency and the overarching pronatalist habitus. This interpretation of the decision-making process to forego parenthood contributes to an understanding of non-conformist choices that are made.

中文翻译：

---

审视不循规蹈矩的选择：成为无子女夫妇的决策过程

摘要 异性恋婚姻中的父母身份规范期望个人成为父母，作为他们生命历程中预定的里程碑。这一规范源自促进生育以促进个人、家庭和社会福祉的生育主义意识形态。本文针对的是印度和加拿大亲生主义的不同但趋同的表现形式，这一点在关于家庭形式的主流话语和加强异性恋核心家庭霸权的政策中很明显。借鉴印度和加拿大城市 36 对无子女夫妇的联合叙述，我们探索了最终导致放弃为人父母的决定的各种过程。各种决策路径之间的跨文化相似性和不同性反过来揭示了个体能动性与总体生育习惯之间复杂的相互作用。这种对放弃为人父母的决策过程的解释有助于理解做出的不墨守成规的选择。