Conceptualization Of Infertility

Infertility has been conceptualized as deviant, which is subject to stigma because it violates norms of acceptable behavior. Goffman defined stigma as “an attribute that is deeply discrediting to its possessor,” an attribute which reduces an individual from “a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one.” Infertility can be conceptualized as a discreditable or potentially stigmatizing attribute because it is not visible to society. It is also a form of deviance that is involuntary because it is either inherited or the result of an accident.
Infertility is especially stigmatizing for women. Conceptions of womanhood and motherhood are based on the assumption that “motherhood is essential to women and that motherhood must be based on biological
Responses to the realization of personal infertility are often linked to the response stages of death and dying.() A person who is infertile may have feelings of shame, guilt, isolation, failure, and loss along with the feeling of sexual inadequacy. Many people view their infertility as a stigmatizing attribute both in terms of how they see themselves and in terms of how they perceive society views them. They view their infertility negatively and that it represents failure. Also, women who are infertile feel more personally stigmatized than women married to infertile men. Women who are married to infertile men are more concerned with protecting their husbands from stigma. Many people also characterize their infertility as discreditable. Many women had high anxiety about potentially being stigmatized. To avoid being stigmatized, women might exclude themselves from social gatherings such as baby showers or avoid their pregnant friends prior to revealing their infertility (Miall 1986- 279). Overall, people who are infertile view their infertility as a master status, which overshadows other accomplishments. There are also gender differences in the experience of infertility. Women are seen as most often responsible for the inability to reproduce while men are considered more likely to be stigmatized if personally infertile. While men and women’s experiences might be different, both men and women feel that the inability to reproduce has a serious effect on their