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The social and cultural meanings of infertility for men and women in Zambia: Legacy, family and divine intervention

Howe, S., Zulu, J. M., Boivin, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9498-1708 and Gerrits, T. 2020. The social and cultural meanings of infertility for men and women in Zambia: Legacy, family and divine intervention. Facts Views and Vision in OB-GYN 12 (3) , pp. 185-193.

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Abstract

Despite the high prevalence of infertility within the sub-Saharan sterility belt, infertility in Zambia is understudied, particularly from a social perspective. Furthermore, few studies in sub-Saharan Africa include the infertility experiences of men. This article seeks to fill this gap by qualitatively describing the ways in which infertility in Zambia is socially and culturally loaded for both men and women. Demonstrating fertility is necessary to be considered a full adult, a real man or woman, and to leave a legacy after death. People in Zambia, including medical professionals, currently lack the necessary information and access to (or ability to provide) care to effectively resolve fertility issues. Infertile people manage their experience through a variety of social, emotional, spiritual, and medical strategies. However, no solution is considered adequate unless the intervention results in childbirth. In this way, infertility is about producing babies and the social meaning of that process, rather than the raising of children.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Publication
Status: Published
Schools: Psychology
ISSN: 2032-0418
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 5 August 2020
Date of Acceptance: 23 July 2020
Last Modified: 06 Nov 2023 14:12
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/133974

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