With the kanyaleng and the help of god, you don’t feel ashamed’

Women experiencing infertility in Casamance, Senegal

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15098615
AutoresSusan Dierickx (0000-0003-3140-0771, Centre of Expertise on Gender, Diversity and Intersectionality (RHEA), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium, autor de correspondencia)
Año2022
Volumen24
Número2
Páginas268-283
Fecha de publicación2022-02-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCulture Health & Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1369-1058 • E-ISSN: 1464-5351
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13691058.2020.1833366
PMID33135970
OpenAlexW3094884194
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7
Referencias citadas42

While the precarious situation of women with infertility in Sub-Saharan Africa is well documented, little is known about the ways in which such women show agency despite the challenges that infertility brings to their lives. This study provided a holistic understanding of the experiences of women with infertility living in a rural community in Casamance (Senegal), drawing attention towards both suffering as well as agency. Qualitative research methods were used, triangulating life-story interviews, participant observation and informal conversations. Findings showed that all women with infertility experienced emotional challenges. These emotional challenges were intertwined with social stigmatisation and troubled relationships with their families-in-law and within their marriages. However, women with infertility were not passive victims in these circumstances. The study identified several strategies used by women to cope with the challenges of infertility, including organising in kanyaleng groups, treatment seeking, fosterage, looking for religious and social support, becoming (financially) independent, avoidance and ignorance. These findings highlight the complexity of agency within a context of structural violence. Concrete measures to improve the lives of women with infertility should acknowledge the agency of women with infertility and involve such women while developing multi-component approaches addressing inequalities

Childlessness · Environmental health · Fertility · Geography · Ignorance · Infertility · Political science · Population · Pregnancy · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · Medicine · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies · Social Psychology