“I will never be a grandfather”: the effects of involuntary childlessness in the lives of older men

Hadley, Robin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4254-7648 (2018) “I will never be a grandfather”: the effects of involuntary childlessness in the lives of older men. In: The 91st Annual Conference of The Japan Sociological Society, 24 September 2018 - 26 September 2018, Konan University, Kobe, Japan. (Unpublished)

Preview

Presentation Available under License In Copyright. Download (847kB) | Preview

Abstract

1. Aim This paper examines how involuntary childlessness impacts on the lives and identity of older men. The worldwide decline in fertility levels and increase in the age of mortality has serious implications for nations and individuals. For the state, the two main concerns are the funding of both pensions and social and health care. For older individuals’ family and social network are critical in mitigating access to informal and formal health and social care. In later life, isolation and loneliness directly affect health and well-being (Baars et al., 2013). Not fulfilling the dominant social status of parenthood provides a significant challenge to both individual and cultural identity. Distress levels in both infertile men and women have been recorded as high as those with grave medical conditions (Fisher and Hammarberg, 2017). The experiences of childless men are mostly absent from research in gerontology, psychology, reproduction, and sociology. These fields have mainly focused on family formation and practices, whilst the fertility intentions, history, and experience of men have been overlooked (Inhorn et al., 2009). Recognition of the impact of involuntary childlessness on men is important, not only because of actual and projected demographic change but because of the lack of material examining male involuntary childlessness (Dykstra, 2009). 2. Data & Methods For this purpose, data were gathered from in-depth semi-structured biographical interviews with 14 self-defined involuntary childless men aged between 49 and 82 years (mean 63.5 years). The age range of the participants covers the midlife transition of the third age: commonly associated with competence before the decline associated with the fourth age (Phillipson, 2013). One participant was Anglo-Celtic Australian and the rest were White-British. Two men self-identified as gay and the remainder as heterosexual, seven had partners and seven were single. Two of the men were widowers. Eleven of the interviews were face-to-face; two were conducted via Skype and one by email. The qualitative approach taken consisted of a methodological framework based on four approaches, critical gerontology, feminist and life course. Taking this approach negotiated the personal and political structures of how ageing is shaped in relation to socio-economic and cultural forces. Nvivo9 was used was used for the management, storage and analysis of the data. A broad latent thematic analysis was applied to the data (Braun and Clarke, 2013) 3. Results The findings showed that diverse pathways the men had taken to become involuntary childlessness. Factors included upbringing, economics, and timing of events, interpersonal skills, sexual orientation, partner selection, relationship formation and dissolution, bereavement, and the assumption of fertility. The importance of relationship quality was very important for all the men whether they had a partner or not. Health, relationships, and social networks affected quality of life. Awareness of “outsiderness” and a fear of being viewed a paedophile were widely reported. The results highlighted how older men related to, and managed non-fatherhood across the life course, and the influence it had on their behaviours, attitudes, and identity at different times and locations. 4. Conclusion From these findings, I argue that recognition of those ageing without children or family is of great importance to both the individual and the state. The majority of infertility literature reports men as being emotionally unaffected by unsuccessful treatment compared to equivalent women. Although men do not have the same choice as women, they may face similar life course, socio-cultural, and relational accords. This study found that all the participants articulated complex nuances of loss, expressed as 'missing out' on the father-child relationship across the life course. Non-fatherhood involves dealing with the loss of the anticipated identity, role, and emotional experience. This is compounded by the scarce societal resource available for involuntary childless men to draw on to aid their self-concept and social identity (Letherby, 2012). Identity is negotiated through a complex process involving not only what one is but also how one relates to what one is not. However, the acceptance of childlessness was shown not to be linear: each participant’s response was influenced by interpersonal, intrapersonal, life course and wider social factors. Identity is negotiated through a complex process involving not only what one is but also how one relates to what one is not. However, the acceptance of childlessness was shown not to be linear: each participant’s response was influenced by interpersonal, intrapersonal, life course and wider social factors. Older people without adult children access formal social and health care at an earlier stage than equivalent peers with adult children. In addition, the duration of their access to services is also longer (Albertini and Mencarini, 2014). By not collecting data on who are ageing without children government and health and care organisations are excluding a significant minority of the population from current and future policy and practice. In the United Kingdom it is predicted that there will be over two million childless people aged 65 and over by 2030 (approximately 25 per cent of the 65 and over population). The consequences for health and social care of individuals and organisations are catastrophic if this does not happen.