While infertility is a global challenge for millions of couples, low income countries have particularly high rates, of up\r\nto 30%. Infertility in these contexts is not limited to its clinical definition but is a socially constructed notion with\r\nvarying definitions. In highly pronatalistic and patriarchal societies like Pakistan, women bear the brunt of the social,\r\nemotional and physical consequences of childlessness. While the often harsh consequences of childlessness for\r\nPakistani women have been widely documented, there is a dearth of exploration into the ways in which prescribed\r\ngender roles inform the experiences of childlessness among Pakistani women and men. The aim of this study was\r\nto explore and compare how gender ideologies, values and expectations shape women�s and men�s experiences of\r\ninfertility in Pakistan. Using an interpretive descriptive approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12\r\nwomen and 8 men experiencing childlessness in Punjab, Pakistan from April to May 2008. Data analysis was\r\nthematic and inductive based on the principles of content analysis. The experience of infertility for men and\r\nwomen is largely determined by their prescribed gender roles. Childlessness weakened marital bonds with\r\ngendered consequences. For women, motherhood is not only a source of status and power, it is the only avenue\r\nfor women to ensure their marital security. Weak marital ties did not affect men�s social identity, security or power.\r\nWomen also face harsher psychosocial, social, emotional and physical consequences of childlessness than men.\r\nThey experienced abuse, exclusion and stigmatization at the couple, household and societal level, while men only\r\nexperienced minor taunting from friends. Women unceasingly sought invasive infertility treatments, while most\r\nmen assumed there was nothing wrong with themselves. This study highlights the ways in which gender roles and\r\nnorms shape the experiences associated with involuntary childlessness for men and women in Punjab, Pakistan.\r\nThe insight obtained into the range of experiences can potentially contribute to deeper understanding of the social\r\nconstruction of infertility and childlessness in pronatalistic and patriarchal societies as well as the ways in which\r\ngender ideologies operationalise to marginalise women.
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