Orna Donath

When Mimeni VaHal'a came out in 2011, it was the first research of its kind done in Israel. The study undermined one of the most cherished myths of Israeli society - that having children is a matter of destiny, not choice. Donath analyzed women's choices to not have children using both sociological and anthropological lenses, with the goal of explaining this choice in an accessible way. In the book, she provides an overview of the history of human procreation and how procreation is controlled and directed by those in power. She also reviews the concept of childhood, and how it has developed over time, and concludes that in Israel, in spite of various changes in the concept and structure of family, childlessness remains a choice that carries great stigma, and there is a long way to go before the choice to not have children is viewed as legitimate. A major distinction Donath insisted upon in her work was between voluntary childlessness and "life without children", pointing out that the two are not the same thing, while also distinguishing the choice from antinatalism, which is a philosophical or ideological objection to procreation, by anyone, and not simply a personal choice that can be made for a variety of reasons.

Donath was born in Ramat Hasharon, the second of two daughters. Her mother is in computers, and her father is a business consultant. She completed her MA in sociology and anthropology at Tel Aviv University in 2007. Her thesis dealt with voluntary childlessness in the very pro-natal Israeli society. She continued on to complete her PhD at Tel Aviv University, on the topic of regretting motherhood. Both works of research were adapted into books: Regretting Motherhood (2017), and Mimeni VaHal'a: Bhira Behaim Bli Yeladim BeYisrael (Not my thing: The choice to live without children in Israel ממני והלאה: בחירה בחיים בלי ילדים בישראל; Hakibbutz Hameuchad 2011). After her PhD, Donath continued with a post-doc appointment at Ben Gurion University, at the Center for Women's Studies and Advancement.

Orna Donath (in Hebrew: אורנה דונת; born on October 15, 1976) is an Israeli sociologist, lecturer, and feminist. She teaches at Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion University, and the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Her field of study focuses on the social expectations projected on women, both those who are mothers and those who are not, especially by choice.