Wombs on Strike: Project seeks to challenge gender stereotypes on womanhood beyond motherhood

Women living in Malta and Gozo who have chosen not to have children are being invited to take part in a new artistic research project that explores diverse experiences of womanhood beyond motherhood.

The project, Wombs on Strike, is calling on women aged 30–45, 46–59 and 60+ to participate in a one-hour individual encounter as part of its research phase, which will run through August and September at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta.

Framed around women’s rights, the initiative aims to gather and honour narratives from women who are childfree by choice. The project’s focus is to challenge prevailing gender stereotypes by mapping out the complex and nuanced reasons behind a life without children.

“Wombs on Strike is a socially embedded artistic exploration that celebrates the multitudes of womanhood,” organisers said in a statement. “It seeks to identify commonalities, contrasts and intersections in the childfree experience across generations.”

The encounters will be conducted in either English or Maltese, with access arrangements available upon request. A token of gratitude will be given to each participant.

Led by artist-researcher Kristina Borg and dramaturg Erica Muscat, the team also includes movement director and counsellor Deborah Falzon, sound artist Yasmin Kuymizakis, co-researchers Virginia Monteforte and Roberta Scerri, the Women’s Rights Foundation (VO/0880), and Il-Kollettiv (VO/2533).

The findings will contribute to a public talk and serve as the foundation for a future interdisciplinary production. The project combines elements from the arts, sociology, anthropology, gender studies, and activism, with the aim of generating new knowledge and empowering women’s rights.

Wombs on Strike forms part of the Spazju Kreattiv 2025–26 programme and is supported by Arts Council Malta.

Women interested in participating can register at http://bit.ly/40LQGoA. For more information, contact +356 7921 3925.