Publication details
Neplodnost jeho a neplodnost její: Genderové aspekty asistované reprodukce
| Title in English | How Men and Women Experience Infertility: Gender Aspects of Assisted Reproduction |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Sociologický časopis/ Czech Sociological Review |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Sociology, demography |
| Keywords | infertility; gender roles; assisted reproduction; stigma; parenthood |
| Description | The ongoing advances in assisted reproductive techniques are not just a new hope for infertile couples but also a heavy burden. They must decide what they are willing to undergo to enhance their chances of conception. Many socially structured factors influence their views on treatment and involvement in the process: the diagnosis, acceptance, and stigma of infertility, and the definition of male and female roles in a partnership and in parenthood. This article is based on a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with women and men suffering from fertility problems. It analyses the negotiations between partners confronted with the diagnosis of infertility and seeking the best solution. The analysis examined how men and women define their roles in the treatment of infertility, how they perceive their partners coping and involvement, and conflicting and controversial topics and situations. Data suggest that the burden of infertility is unequal. While treatment involves a woman fully in the physical and the psychological sense, the involvement of the man and potential father in the treatment process is reduced to his provision of genetic material on demand. The research revealed two factors that influence and separate the experiences of men and women: the different time/age frame of the reproductive experience and the physical aspect of infertility and reproduction. Both factors are anchored in the praxis of assisted reproduction. The treatment process is administered in a way that, instead of reshaping or challenging traditional defi nitions of parenthood or gender roles, confirms the status quo. |
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