It's a question often asked of adults who don't have children: why not? For those who make the conscious decision to live life childless, sometimes it even comes with a label: selfish.

But is going through adulthood without wanting to have children selfish? According to Meghan Daum, not at all.

"This is not a matter of not liking children, or wanting to save your money. It's about figuring out the type of person you want to be in the world," she told BC Almanac's Gloria Macarenko.

​Daum, who made the decision to be childless herself, is the author and editor of Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed, a book of essays about the still-taboo subject of living child-free.

"Not only do parents have a tendency to assume that people who have chosen not to have kids are selfish, but too often people in my position find it easier to give a joke answer rather than tell the truth."

She says adults who make the conscious choice to not have kids should not feel persecuted by their decision.

"It's actually a way of respecting parenting. I can't think of a better tribute to good parenting than to say this a really important job and it should be done by people who want to do this job."

"So often we associated real maturity with a parent, and god knows there are a lot of parents out there who don't seem so mature."

To hear the full interview, click the audio labelled: Childless living.