Locating vulnerable masculinities among childfree men in urban India
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3648137 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chattopadhyay (0000-0003-1077-2162, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, corresponding author), Sreeparna Chattopadhyay (Flame University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-25 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Gender Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0958-9236 • E-ISSN: 1465-3869 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09589236.2025.2492202 |
| OpenAlex | W4409525234 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 30 |
In urban areas of western and southern India, fertility rates have dropped substantially. Educated individuals living in urban parts of these two regions are increasingly choosing to forego biological reproduction. Using anthropological methodologies, including digital ethnography for over three years, this research examines the motivations of urban, middle-class, Hindu men in India who are childfree by choice or follow antinatalism, a philosophy that argues that it is unethical to birth children. I find that my interlocutors choose not to have children for multiple reasons—avoiding the transmission of intergenerational trauma or heritable illnesses, environmental concerns, financial reasons, using resources for self-development, and a difficult childhood. By not having children, my interlocutors are intentionally (or not) subverting casteist heteropatriarchy because the Hindu caste order perpetuates itself through caste endogamy and patrilineality. Vulnerability as an analytical apparatus demonstrates that while my interlocutors may not be vulnerable in a sociological sense, they have been rendered so because of the poly-crises that have made lives uncertain globally and have influenced their decisions to remain childfree. Thus, their narratives and actions should be read as an example of reflexive and positive masculinity, that helps them navigate a troubled world
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |