Growing up in a large Indian household and being the oldest of five, Moosa, 34, always felt that she would not have children. She\u2019s always been OK with doing things differently than the rest of her family, she says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am the eldest sister, so I was really taking a role to take care of my siblings from a young age. I am also a teacher, so I have all these things where I am around children who fill that maternal cup,\u201d says Moosa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the other side of the spectrum, Reffuge, 33, wanted a big family when she was a little girl. When she was 8, her mother suddenly passed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that there was a perspective change following the trauma of it, which kind of shaped the way I think about what a family actually looks like in my head and in reality,\u201d says Reffuge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After having conversations with her partner about the effect this had on her, Reffuge came to the conclusion that she didn\u2019t want to have children after all. Her partner was on the same page.<\/p>\n
Both Moosa and Reffuge are surrounded by family and friends who are supportive of their decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Meeraj Moosa, 34, always felt she wouldn\u2019t have children. Photo by Alexis Wary. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really reinforced that Meeraj and I are the perfect pair to start a group like this because we are met with so much internal support,\u201d says Reffuge. \u201c It makes us feel great that we can provide something for these women, because being child-free by choice can be really isolating.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Previous events have included happy hours, flower-arranging workshops, bocce and Galentine\u2019s Day friend speed dating. The founders\u2019 goal for Child-Free by Choice PGH is to provide a supportive community for women to meet new friends and share their experiences freely without being judged, shamed or feeling pressure to constantly answer questions about having children.<\/p>\n
Someone may decide not to have children for any number of reasons, say Moosa and Refugee, one being potential health risks. Some are still dealing with complicated and conflicting feelings about their decision, while many others are at peace with it. Child-Free by Choice PGH is open to all.<\/p>\n
According to a 2023 Pew Research study<\/a>, 47% of adults in the United States of America\u00a0 age 50 and under say \u201cthey are unlikely to ever have kids,\u201d a 10% increase since the 2018 study. Reasons include wanting to focus on their career, increased concerns about the state of the world, climate change and the environment, inability to afford to raise a child or simply not wanting to have children.<\/p>\n Julie Start, 41, says she has always felt off and on about being child-free by choice. Then she attended the first meetup in January. Start says she feels strongly that the universe sends people things when they need them. When the group came along, she felt ready to go all in with it. Many of Start\u2019s longtime friends have kids, and she has felt left out when they talk about the mom groups and support systems that they have.\u00a0<\/p>\n Being a part of Child-Free by Choice PGH has helped her understand that her reasons for not wanting children or being \u201con the fence about it\u201d are valid. There is no pressure to justify her choice. \u201cI think it\u2019s just nice to go into a group and not be the outlier,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Start also said that not feeling pressure to talk about the subject at these events helped her. \u201cI just needed that lightness, like around the topic. It has just felt so heavy for me for so long.\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Being suddenly faced with questions about having children at a social event can be difficult at times, she says. \u201cMy stomach just drops when I get these questions. I don\u2019t want to talk about this at a moment when I am just enjoying myself at dinner. So it\u2019s just nice that we can talk about our shared child-free experiences but also just have fun and hang out.\u201d<\/p>\n Pulling inspiration from acquaintances who are a part of other child-free by choice groups all over the world, Moosa and Reffuge aim to grow the organization through new event opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n They hope that reaching more people and having open conversations around being child-free can help fight some of society\u2019s narrow views on what a family looks like. \u201cWe just want to keep talking about it because it can open people up to acceptance,\u201d says Moosa.\u00a0<\/p>\n Child-Free by Choice PGH\u2019s next events will be an outdoor picnic in Gibsonia on Friday, Sept. 25<\/a>, and \u201cMurder Mystery at the Cottage\u201d<\/a> on Friday, Oct. 9. To learn more about the group, follow it on Instagram: @childfree_bychoicepgh<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tMORE WAYS TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ChildFreeByChoice_2026-3.jpg\")
Julie Start says she often feels left out of conversations with friends who have children. Photo by Alexis Wary.<\/p>\n
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