Expectant Mothers

Women’s Infertility and the Potential Identity of Biological Motherhood

Bibliographic Data

ID12875668
AuthorsJeni Loftus (Purdue University West Lafayette, corresponding author), Paul Namaste
Year2011
Volume7
Issue1
Pages36-54
Publication date2011-04-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQualitative Sociology Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1733-8077 • E-ISSN: 1733-8077
PublisherUniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.18778/1733-8077.07.1.02
OpenAlexW4206417061
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited13

Using the voices of 196 infertile women we analyze women’s infertility from the perspective of identity theory. Results illustrate how the potential identity of becoming a biological mother can have an extremely high level of salience, therefore women enact behaviors that attempt to make the potential identity of motherhood a reality. However, because a discrepancy exists between the potential and actual identities, these women experience harmful consequences until they either become pregnant or choose to stop infertility treatments. By understanding how these women create, interpret, and sustain the potential identity of being a biological mother while struggling to reject a possibly permanent infertile identity, this study offers new insights into both the social process of infertility and identity theory

Biology · Developmental psychology · Gender identity · Identity (music · Infertility · Perspective (graphical · Pregnancy · Salience (neuroscience · Social group · Social identity theory · Sociology · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies · Computer Science · Gender Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access