Life without fatherhood: a qualitative study of older involuntarily childless men

Hadley, Robin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4254-7648 (2015) Life without fatherhood: a qualitative study of older involuntarily childless men. In: The Society of Reproductive and Infant Psychology (SRIP) 35th Annual Conference, 14 September 2015 - 15 September 2015, Nottingham, UK. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This study reveals the complexities in older men’s experience of involuntarily childlessness. Research literature on both involuntary childlessness and ageing has highlighted the paucity of material on men’s experience. The aim of this study was to explore and understand the impact of childlessness on the lives of older, self-defined, involuntarily childless men. This qualitative study employed a pluralistic framework formed by life course, biographical, and gerontological approaches to explore the lives of 14 men, aged between 49 and 82 years. A broad thematic analysis was applied to the rich data that the semi-structured interviews provided. Reproductive intentions were affected by many factors including the timing of exiting education, relationship formation and dissolution, and choice of partner. The men’s attitude to fatherhood changed with age and centred on the theme of the ‘social clock’ that revealed the synergy between an individual and societal morès surrounding parenthood. The loss of the assumed father role and relationship ebbed and flowed in and out of the men’s lives in a form of complex bereavement. Awareness of feeling both a sense of ‘outsiderness’ and a fear of being viewed as a paedophile were widely reported. This study supports the case for a biographical method of research drawing on a pluralistic framework. It challenges research that reports men are not affected by the social, emotional, and relational aspects of involuntary childlessness. Recommendations are made in the conclusion regarding the use of the findings for future research and for policy.