MOTHERHOOD.

On Reproductive Identity. 

In her article ‘Reproductive Identity an Emerging Concept’ Aurlie Athan (2020) explores the significant relationship between reproductive experiences throughout the lifespan and the shaping of personhood, that to date has been largely neglected in scientific literature and in a greater cultural context.“Like gender and sexuality, reproduction is a healthy aspect of human expression to be openly explored, destigmatized, and self-authored” Athan writes.

As the social and reproductive landscape evolves in relation to how families are structured and conceived, particularly in communities such Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA), awareness around reproduction must also evolve to include a wider and more inclusive picture that more accurately represents the unique personal reproductive trajectory for all. “By the end of their lifetime, almost everyone will have had a reproductive encounter of some kind with an enduring impact on their personhood” Athan continues.

Broadening the lens through which we view reproduction may help to make it less divisive. Current perceptions of reproduction are centred majoritively on heterosexual female norms which includes the ideals of conception followed by birth and care of a child, marginalising those outside of these norms including men and minority groups and minimises the full spectrum of a person’s reproductive experience, which may digress largely from these social ideals. Athan suggests that the “The long-standing divide between those with and without children must be remediated because childlessness should be reconceptualized as an equally valid reproductive identity existing perhaps on the very same continuum. A singular, one-sided vision of reproductive identity at best denies the complexity of individuals”.

Expanding the understanding that envelops reproduction is a necessary transition to enable people freely grapple and identify with their own unique reproductive story.

References and Further Reading.

Athan, A. M, 2020, ‘Reproductive identity: An emerging concept’,American Psychologist, 75(4), 445–456. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000623. Cited online April 2023 https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2020-29966-003.html

28. June. 2024.