- Psychology, Sociology of Identity, Sex and Gender, Self and Identity, Social Sciences, Research Methodology, and 77 moreSociology, Gender, Feminist Theory, Masculinities, Male Infertility, Infertility, Couple Therapy, Infertility, Infertility Icsi, Social Policy and Ageing, Childlessness by Choice, Depression, Qualitative methodology, Mixed Methods, Sociology of Personal Life, Gender and Sexuality, Critical Theory, Education, Life Histories Methodology, Qualitative Methodologies, Women and Work, Employment Equity Policies, Intersectionality, Masculinity, Life course, Ageing and Health, Dementia, Late Life Depression, Frailty, Successful Ageing, Nutrition, Psychoanalysis, Family, Studies On Men And Masculinity, Masculinity Studies, Qualitative Methods (Sociology), Reproduction and human fertility, Masculine Sexuality, Psychology of Aging, Counseling, Models of Elder Care, Cognitive Aging, Healthy Aging, Logevity Studies, Fuctional Competence and Active Ageing, Special Concern Groups of Elderly, Responsible Fatherhood, Psychoanalytical Couples Therapy, Psychoanalytical Family Therapy, Male Reproduction Health, Psychology of Infertility, Ethics, Fatherhood and Men's Issues, Critical Social Psychology, Social Identity, Critical Health Psychology, Men's Health, Aging, Sexuality, Philosophy, Public Health, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, Medicine, Biology, Human Rights, Geography, Public Policy, Philosophy of Science, Communication, Economics, Political Science, Reproduction, Identity, Generations, Parenthood, Gender Studies, and Social Psychologyedit
- I am a versatile and creative mature researcher who has worked in the fields of sociology, ageing, counselling, psych... moreI am a versatile and creative mature researcher who has worked in the fields of sociology, ageing, counselling, psychology, sexual and men’s health, and fertility for 12 years. Previous careers include technical manager, liaison officer, and scientific photographer. My skills encompass qualitative and quantitative methods, analysis, writing journals and book chapters, and successfully presenting at conferences and meetings. I am multi-tasker who is resilient, a trained listener and loyal with established skills in leadership, management, public speaking, and writing for different outlets.
I am a member of the British Fertility Society, British Society for Gerontology, and the Society of Reproductive and Infant Healthedit
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There is an absence of literature on the dynamics of men interviewing men generally and particularly, on sensitive subjects. Childless men are, compared to women, absent from geographical, gerontological, psychological, reproductive and... more
There is an absence of literature on the dynamics of men interviewing men generally and particularly, on sensitive subjects. Childless men are, compared to women, absent from geographical, gerontological, psychological, reproductive and sociological research. These disciplines have mainly focussed on motherhood, women and family formation. Over the past 15 years, research literature on both involuntary childlessness and ageing has highlighted the paucity of material on men’s experience. Consequently, the fertility intentions, history and experience of men have been overlooked. Infertility research has shown that failure to fulfil the status of parenthood may lead to a complex form of bereavement and is a significant challenge to identity. In this piece, I draw on my experience of conducting an auto/biographical doctoral study on the life experiences of 14 involuntarily childless older men. I briefly explore the literature surrounding research interviews with men participants. I highlight the gender dynamics encountered in both interview and wider academic settings. I identify how danger, harm and risk are present in academic environments such as conferences. I use my experience to illustrate how physical, emotional and ethical dangers affect one’s sense of self. I argue that ethical standards should be applied to all research locations.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The implications of the global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population have been extensively reported. This piece examines the complex intersections between men's experience of involuntary... more
The implications of the global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population have been extensively reported. This piece examines the complex intersections between men's experience of involuntary childlessness and agency, structure, and relationships. Childless men are, compared to women, missing from gerontological, sociological, infertility, and psychological research. These fields have mainly focussed on family and women. Feminist studies into infertility and ageing have highlighted the absence of the male experience. Involuntary childlessness has been viewed as a complex bereavement formed by multiple losses. Distress levels in both men and women in this population have been found to be as high those with grave medical conditions. This piece draws on my doctoral study framed by biographical, life course, gerontological and feminist approaches. I explore the factors that influenced the 14 participants' routes to involuntary childlessness. Findings countered the stereotype that fatherhood is not important to men and challenges research that reports that men are not affected by the social, emotional, and relational aspects of involuntary childlessness. I will offer how my research has influenced my own identity.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Feminist Theory, Social Sciences, Gerontology, and 15 moreQualitative methodology, Aging, Fertility, Feminism, Masculinities, Biographical Methods, Narrative and Identity, Infertility, Ageing and Health, Thematic Analysis, Critical gerontology, Reproduction and human fertility, Health and Social Care, Male Infertility, and Childlessness
ABSTRACT tudies of Ageing Masculinities: Still in Their Infancy? edited by Anna Tarrant and Jacqueline H. Watts Sociological and gerontological research concerning men’s ageing remains piecemeal and under - theorised despite recognition... more
ABSTRACT tudies of Ageing Masculinities: Still in Their Infancy? edited by Anna Tarrant and Jacqueline H. Watts Sociological and gerontological research concerning men’s ageing remains piecemeal and under - theorised despite recognition of the gendered nature of ageing and burgeoning recognition that older people and their needs are largely absent and less considered in academic and public rhetoric.The contributors to this one - day workshop sought to improve understanding of contemporary men’s ageing by showcasing current research in this area, to forge a multi-disciplinary network of scholars, practitioners and end users interested in men’s ageing, and to generate future research collaborations. No 14 The Representation of Older People in Ageing Research Series A joint series from the Centre for Ageing and Biographical Studies at the Open University and the Centre for Policy on Ageing
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Research Interests: Sociology, Cultural Studies, Psychology, Demography, Economics, and 15 moreSexual and Reproductive Health, Embryology, Reproduction, Sexuality, Gender and Sexuality, Biology, Masculinity, Fertility, Mixed Methods Research, Thematic Analysis, Fatherhood, Motherhood, Work Life Balance, Parenthood, and Life Span Development
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Demography, Geriatrics, and 15 moreAnthropology, Anthropology of Reproduction, Family, Aging, Attachment Theory, Ageing and Health, Early Childhood, Sociology of Ageing, Fatherhood, Attachment, Reproduction and human fertility, Motherhood, Parenthood, Childlessness, and Marital Status
Abstract Background The global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population has led to increased scrutiny of parenthood. Although there are more childless men than childless women, there is very little research... more
Abstract Background The global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population has led to increased scrutiny of parenthood. Although there are more childless men than childless women, there is very little research literature on the impact of male childlessness. The childless are absent from much social science literature, which has mainly focussed on family and women. Feminist studies into infertility and ageing have highlighted the absence of the male experience. Involuntary childlessness has been viewed as a complex bereavement formed by multiple losses. Distress levels in both men and women in this population have been found to be as high those with grave medical conditions. Objectives The aim of this study was to examine older men’s experience of involuntary childlessness. Methods This piece draws on my qualitative auto/biographical doctoral study that was framed by biographical, life course, gerontological, and feminist approaches. Data collection involved in-depth semi-structured biographical interviews with 14 self-defined involuntary childless men aged between 49 and 82 years from across the United Kingdom. A latent thematic analysis highlighted the complex intersections between agency, biology, childlessness, economics, mental and physical health, relationships, and socio-cultural structures. Major findings Findings countered the stereotype that men are not interested in reproduction. I argue that that involuntary childlessness should be considered as a significant factor in older men’s poor health and social capital. Conclusions This piece challenges the common narratives that the social, emotional, and relational aspects of involuntary childlessness do not affect men.
Research Interests: Psychology, Demography, Gender Studies, Economics, Social Networks, and 15 moreDeath, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Mental Health, Social Capital, Aging, Qualitative Research, Masculinities, Health, Ageing and Health, Medicine, Social Gerontology, Health and Social Care, Clinical Sciences, Childlessness, and In Depth Interviews
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Research Interests: Critical Theory, Evolutionary Psychology, Demography, Gender Studies, Family studies, and 15 moreGender and Sexuality, Family, Aging, Gender, Fertility, Health Policy, Ageing and Health, Fatherhood, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Critical gerontology, Grandparents, Grandparenting, Family Studies, Childlessness, and Grandparenthood
Research Interests: Psychology, Ethics, Narrative, Qualitative methodology, Class, and 15 moreGender, Narrative Methods, Feminism, Qualitative Research, Masculinities, Nvivo Based Qualitative Research, Interview, Culturally Sensitive Research, Ethical dilemmas, Harm, Biographical narratives, Childlessness, Methodological Innovations, Semi structured interviews, and In Depth Interviews
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Research Interests: Nutrition and Dietetics, Primary Care, Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology, Primary Health Care, Grey Literature, and 11 moreQualitative Research, Medicine, Fatherhood, Maternal and Child Nutrition, Breastfeeding, Social Science Research Network, Motherhood, Infant feeding, Systematic review, Scopus, and Midwifery Womens health breastfeeding primary health care
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In this piece, I discuss the differences and difficulties I found during the tumultuous, nerve-racking process of completing a PhD in a subject that is both very personal and extremely sensitive: male involuntary childlessness. A subject... more
In this piece, I discuss the differences and difficulties I found during the tumultuous, nerve-racking process of completing a PhD in a subject that is both very personal and extremely sensitive: male involuntary childlessness. A subject so sensitive that reaction to my work has ranged from genuine tears of empathy to sarcastic gestures of weeping and condescension (Hadley, 2020). My doctoral research drew on my personal experience and the issue of auto/biography is relevant here. Auto/Biography acknowledges and embraces the significance of the personhood of the researcher in the research process (Brennan and Letherby, 2017). Michael Brennan and Gayle Letherby (2017: 54) suggest that that there is an ‘autobiographical continuum’ ranging from auto/biography to auto/biography. The former refers to those that write about others but acknowledge the significance of their personhood in the process. The latter, in writing about themselves recognise the importance of others in their story. In my PhD and other academic writings, I write from an auto/biography perspective. However, here I write from the auto/biographical perspective as I share my story of being a doctoral student.
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Research Interests:
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Previous research has reported adverse health outcomes for emergency services personnel (ESP), outcomes that research more broadly has shown can be improved using a gamification and mobile health (mhealth) apps approach. We conducted a... more
Previous research has reported adverse health outcomes for emergency services personnel (ESP), outcomes that research more broadly has shown can be improved using a gamification and mobile health (mhealth) apps approach. We conducted a review of research on gamification and mhealth apps for ESP that had been published in the last 19 years using 6 major research databases. The results demonstrated that virtually no relevant research has been published, suggesting a significant gap in the evidence base of an approach that could potentially have significant benefits for the health of ESP.
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Research Interests:
In the Western world, childlessness affects one in four men and one in five women. In the UK the numbers of people ageing without children aged over 65 years is projected to rise to above 2 million by 2030. Although precarity in ageing is... more
In the Western world, childlessness affects one in four men and one in five women. In the UK the numbers of people ageing without children aged over 65 years is projected to rise to above 2 million by 2030. Although precarity in ageing is increasingly recognised in academia, people ageing without children are not acknowledged as a group and dismissed as a ‘non-category’ (1, 2). This means they are in danger of being invisible to academia, policymakers and other institutional stakeholders.
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Existing research surrounding dating apps has primarily focused on younger people with few studies exploring usage of such apps by middle aged and older adults. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic challenged social behaviours and forced... more
Existing research surrounding dating apps has primarily focused on younger people with few studies exploring usage of such apps by middle aged and older adults. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic challenged social behaviours and forced people to adapt intimacy and wider relationship conduct. The objective of this study was to examine how older adults utilized dating apps during the lockdowns of the UK pandemic (December 2020–May 2021). Findings presented here focus on qualitative data collected from an online survey and eight online, one-to-one interviews with adults aged 40–54 years. The online survey targeted adults across the UK while interviewees were located across England. Employing interpretative phenomenological analysis, findings identified three key themes: 1. Morality, health, and law breaking and COVID-19; 2. Self-surveillance and moral signalling; 3. Loneliness and social isolation. Qualitative findings show engaging with apps was a proxy which alleviated feelings of lonel...
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Research Interests:
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The implications of the global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population have been extensively reported. This piece examines the complex intersections between men's experience of involuntary... more
The implications of the global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population have been extensively reported. This piece examines the complex intersections between men's experience of involuntary childlessness and agency, structure, and relationships. Childless men are, compared to women, missing from gerontological, sociological, infertility, and psychological research. These fields have mainly focussed on family and women. Feminist studies into infertility and ageing have highlighted the absence of the male experience. Involuntary childlessness has been viewed as a complex bereavement formed by multiple losses. Distress levels in both men and women in this population have been found to be as high those with grave medical conditions. This piece draws on my doctoral study framed by biographical, life course, gerontological and feminist approaches. I explore the factors that influenced the 14 participants' routes to involuntary childlessness. Findings countered the stereotype that fatherhood is not important to men and challenges research that reports that men are not affected by the social, emotional, and relational aspects of involuntary childlessness. I will offer how my research has influenced my own identity.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Feminist Theory, Social Sciences, Gerontology, and 15 moreQualitative methodology, Aging, Feminism, Masculinities, Biographical Methods, Narrative and Identity, Infertility, Ageing and Health, Aging & the life course, Thematic Analysis, Critical gerontology, Reproduction and human fertility, Health and Social Care, Male Infertility, and Fictional auto/biography
In this piece, I discuss the differences and difficulties I found during the tumultuous, nerve-racking process of completing a PhD in a subject that is both very personal and extremely sensitive: male involuntary childlessness. A subject... more
In this piece, I discuss the differences and difficulties I found during the tumultuous, nerve-racking process of completing a PhD in a subject that is both very personal and extremely sensitive: male involuntary childlessness. A subject so sensitive that reaction to my work has ranged from genuine tears of empathy to sarcastic gestures of weeping and condescension (Hadley, 2020).
My doctoral research drew on my personal experience and the issue of auto/biography is relevant here. Auto/Biography acknowledges and embraces the significance of the personhood of the researcher in the research process (Brennan and Letherby, 2017). Michael Brennan and Gayle Letherby (2017: 54) suggest that that there is an ‘autobiographical continuum’ ranging from auto/biography to auto/biography. The former refers to those that write about others but acknowledge the significance of their personhood in the process. The latter, in writing about themselves recognise the importance of others in their story. In my PhD and other academic writings, I write from an auto/biography perspective. However, here I write from the auto/biographical perspective as I share my story of being a doctoral student.
My doctoral research drew on my personal experience and the issue of auto/biography is relevant here. Auto/Biography acknowledges and embraces the significance of the personhood of the researcher in the research process (Brennan and Letherby, 2017). Michael Brennan and Gayle Letherby (2017: 54) suggest that that there is an ‘autobiographical continuum’ ranging from auto/biography to auto/biography. The former refers to those that write about others but acknowledge the significance of their personhood in the process. The latter, in writing about themselves recognise the importance of others in their story. In my PhD and other academic writings, I write from an auto/biography perspective. However, here I write from the auto/biographical perspective as I share my story of being a doctoral student.
Research Interests:
The objective of this study was to assess the level of the desire for parenthood (broodiness) in childless men compared to non-parents and parents. Parenthood brings a high social status. The majority of studies examining reproductive... more
The objective of this study was to assess the level of the desire for parenthood (broodiness) in childless men compared to non-parents and parents. Parenthood brings a high social status. The majority of studies examining reproductive intentions and behaviour have concentrated on women and couples. However, there are very few studies exploring men's desire for fatherhood. This study is a sequential quantitative-qualitative mixed-methods online survey on the influences, motivations, and reasons for men and women's desire for parenthood. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive, univariate and bivariate techniques. Qualitative data were analysed using a latent thematic analysis. Recruitment was by the snowball email method. The sample was formed of 232 respondents with a mean age of 41.37 years (<em>SD </em>= 10.83), a central tendency of female, the majority were White British, degree educated, professional, and heterosexual. The main finding identifie...
Research Interests: Sociology, Cultural Studies, Psychology, Economics, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and 15 moreEmbryology, Reproduction, Sexuality, Gender and Sexuality, Biology, Masculinity, Fertility, Mixed Methods (Methodology), Mixed Methods Research, Aging & the life course, Fatherhood, Motherhood, Work Life Balance, Parenthood, and Life Span Development
The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that childhood attachment predicts whether a person has children in later life. Although being a parent is considered a typical part of the human life cycle in most parts of the... more
The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that childhood attachment predicts whether a person has children in later life. Although being a parent is considered a typical part of the human life cycle in most parts of the world, childlessness has increased substantially in recent decades in developed parts of the world. It is possible that insecure childhood attachment has contributed to this phenomenon, but this hypothesis has been relatively little explored. This study is a cross-sectional survey of 394 men and women aged over 50 years old, stratified by geographical UK region from a research panel, and analysed using hierarchical logistic regression. Validated measures of childhood attachment and other psychological and demographic factors were used. The main finding was that, independent of the impact of other variables (age, sex, education level, marital status, life stress, healthrelated quality of life, mental positivity, and avoidant attachment style), people who ...
Research Interests: Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Demography, Geriatrics, Anthropology, and 15 moreParenting, Anthropology of Reproduction, Family, Aging, Attachment Theory, Infertility, Ageing and Health, Fatherhood, Attitudes towards childlessness, Attachment, Motherhood, Pschology, Childlessness by Choice, Parenthood, and Childlessness
The implications of the global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population have been extensively reported. Childless men are, compared to women, missing from gerontological, psychological, reproduction, and... more
The implications of the global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population have been extensively reported. Childless men are, compared to women, missing from gerontological, psychological, reproduction, and sociological research. These fields have mainly focussed on family formation and practices with the fertility intentions, history, and experience of older men being overlooked. Over the past 15 years, research literature on both involuntary childlessness and ageing has highlighted the paucity of material on men's experience. Infertility research has shown that failure to fulfil the status of parenthood may lead to a complex form of bereavement and is a significant challenge to identity. In the past three decades, there has been an escalation in the research and general literature surrounding fathers, fathering and fatherhood. Recent research into contemporary grandparenting has highlighted the intricacy and importance of intergenerational relation...
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Fatherhood is seen as a natural right—a transition that is the ultimate sign that a man is virile, and bestows concomitant status, rights and privileges. The demographic, social, and economic changes across the last few decades have led... more
Fatherhood is seen as a natural right—a transition that is the ultimate sign that a man is virile, and bestows concomitant status, rights and privileges. The demographic, social, and economic changes across the last few decades have led to increased scrutiny of parenthood. Much of the focus is on fertility trends and the impact of childlessness for women. However, although there are more childless men than childless women, there is very little research literature on the impact of male involuntary childlessness.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and 15 moreMental Health, Parenting, Cognitive Ageing, Biology, Feminism, Masculinities, Life course, Infertility, Ageing and Health, Aging & the life course, Sociology of Ageing, Fatherhood, Social Gerontology, Male Infertility, and Life course transitions
Abstract Background The global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population has led to increased scrutiny of parenthood. Although there are more childless men than childless women, there is very little research... more
Abstract Background The global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population has led to increased scrutiny of parenthood. Although there are more childless men than childless women, there is very little research literature on the impact of male childlessness. The childless are absent from much social science literature, which has mainly focussed on family and women. Feminist studies into infertility and ageing have highlighted the absence of the male experience. Involuntary childlessness has been viewed as a complex bereavement formed by multiple losses. Distress levels in both men and women in this population have been found to be as high those with grave medical conditions. Objectives The aim of this study was to examine older men’s experience of involuntary childlessness. Methods This piece draws on my qualitative auto/biographical doctoral study that was framed by biographical, life course, gerontological, and feminist approaches. Data collection involved in-depth semi-structured biographical interviews with 14 self-defined involuntary childless men aged between 49 and 82 years from across the United Kingdom. A latent thematic analysis highlighted the complex intersections between agency, biology, childlessness, economics, mental and physical health, relationships, and socio-cultural structures. Major findings Findings countered the stereotype that men are not interested in reproduction. I argue that that involuntary childlessness should be considered as a significant factor in older men’s poor health and social capital. Conclusions This piece challenges the common narratives that the social, emotional, and relational aspects of involuntary childlessness do not affect men.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Demography, Gender Studies, Economics, and 15 moreSocial Networks, Death, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Mental Health, Social Capital, Aging, Qualitative Research, Masculinities, Health, Ageing and Health, Medicine, Social Gerontology, Health and Social Care, Clinical Sciences, and In Depth Interviews
There is an absence of literature on the dynamics of men interviewing men generally and particularly, on sensitive subjects. Childless men are, compared to women, absent from geographical, gerontological, psychological, reproductive and... more
There is an absence of literature on the dynamics of men interviewing men generally and particularly, on sensitive subjects. Childless men are, compared to women, absent from geographical, gerontological, psychological, reproductive and sociological research. These disciplines have mainly focussed on motherhood, women and family formation. Over the past 15 years, research literature on both involuntary childlessness and ageing has highlighted the paucity of material on men’s experience. Consequently, the fertility intentions, history and experience of men have been overlooked. Infertility research has shown that failure to fulfil the status of parenthood may lead to a complex form of bereavement and is a significant challenge to identity. In this piece, I draw on my experience of conducting an auto/biographical doctoral study on the life experiences of 14 involuntarily childless older men. I briefly explore the literature surrounding research interviews with men participants. I high...
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Ethics, Narrative, Qualitative methodology, and 15 moreClass, Gender, Narrative Methods, Feminism, Qualitative Research, Masculinities, Reflexivity (Sociology), Nvivo Based Qualitative Research, Social Gerontology, Culturally Sensitive Research, Ethical dilemmas, Biographical narratives, Methodological Innovations, Semi structured interviews, and In Depth Interviews
The social networks of older people are a significant influence on their health and wellbeing. Adult children are an important element in their parent's network and provide the majority of informal care. The morphology of personal... more
The social networks of older people are a significant influence on their health and wellbeing. Adult children are an important element in their parent's network and provide the majority of informal care. The morphology of personal networks alters with age, employment, gender and relationships. Not having children automatically reduces both vertical familial structure and affects the wider formal and informal social links that children can bring. Childless men are missing from gerontological, reproduction, sociological and psychological research. These fields have all mainly focused on family and women. This paper reports on an auto/biographical qualitative study framed by biographical, feminist, gerontological and lifecourse approaches. Data were gathered from semi-structured biographical interviews with 14 self-defined involuntarily childless men aged between 49 and 82 years old. A latent thematic analysis highlighted the complex intersections between childlessness and individu...
Research Interests: Health Psychology, Demography, Health Sciences, Gender Studies, Health Economics, and 15 moreGerontology, Gender and Sexuality, Family, Aging, Grandchildren and Grandparents, Masculinities, Infertility, Health Care Management, Ageing and Health, Interpersonal Relationships, Health and Social Care, Fictive Kinship, Ageing Society, In Depth Interviews, and Male Childlessness
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extensively report the implications of the global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population. The experiences of childless men are mostly absent from gerontological,... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extensively report the implications of the global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population. The experiences of childless men are mostly absent from gerontological, psychological, reproduction, and sociological, research. These disciplines have mainly focussed on family formation and practices, whilst the fertility intentions, history, and experience of men have been overlooked. 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. Design/methodology/approach The aim of this paper is to provide some insight into the affect involuntarily childless has on the lives of older men. This auto/biographical qualitative study used a pluralistic framework drawn from the biographical, feminist, gerontological, and life course approache...
Research Interests: Critical Theory, Evolutionary Psychology, Health Psychology, Demography, Gender Studies, and 15 moreFamily studies, Gender and Sexuality, Family, Aging, Gender, Health Policy, Infertility, Ageing and Health, Fatherhood, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Critical gerontology, Grandparenting, Family Studies, In Depth Interviews, and Grandparenthood
BACKGROUND The use and deployment of mobile devices across society is phenomenal. Yet, little is known about the use and deployment of mobile ECG monitoring of palpitations and arrhythmia. The popularity of the devices tied with the... more
BACKGROUND The use and deployment of mobile devices across society is phenomenal. Yet, little is known about the use and deployment of mobile ECG monitoring of palpitations and arrhythmia. The popularity of the devices tied with the increase of individuals monitoring their health highlighted the paucity of material on this recent trend. OBJECTIVE In this scoping literature review we identify the contemporary evidence which reports the use of mobile ECG monitoring to assess palpitations and AR across populations. METHODS The search was conducted across five electronic databases: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), CINHAL, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus, between February and March 2018. RESULTS A total of 981 records were identified and following the inclusion and exclusion criteria a total of nine records formed the final stage of the review. The results identified a total of six primary themes (purpose, environment, population, wearable devices, assessment, and study desi...
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Although the advantages of breastfeeding are well documented, rates for breastfeeding often fall short of international and national targets. Increasing attention has been paid to the role of men in infant feeding, but a lot of the... more
Although the advantages of breastfeeding are well documented, rates for breastfeeding often fall short of international and national targets. Increasing attention has been paid to the role of men in infant feeding, but a lot of the research about men has been elicited from women, rather than from men themselves. To explore these issues further, a systematic review of the qualitative research on infant feeding was carried out, focusing specifically on men's own views and experiences. Evidence was identified by searching electronic databases (CINAL, Cochrane, PubMed, and Scopus), manually searching citations, and by searching the grey literature. Studies were included in the review if they discussed men's views and experiences of infant feeding and if they reported primary qualitative data. Twenty research papers were included in the review, and each study was summarised and then analysed thematically to produce a synthesis. Five major analytical themes were identified: men...
Research Interests: Nutrition and Dietetics, Primary Care, Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology, Primary Health Care, Qualitative Research, and 8 moreMedicine, Fatherhood, Maternal and Child Nutrition, Breastfeeding, Social Science Research Network, Motherhood, Infant feeding, and Midwifery Womens health breastfeeding primary health care
Objective: This study aims to explore the experience of childless men and the desire for fatherhood. Background: There is little research exploring the desire for fatherhood, with most studies concentrating on couples in infertility... more
Objective: This study aims to explore the experience of childless men and the desire for fatherhood. Background: There is little research exploring the desire for fatherhood, with most studies concentrating on couples in infertility treatment. Of those, the majority focus on the women’s experience, a factor that may reflect the gender stereotype and cultural identification of childlessness to women. Methods: A qualitative approach was adopted. A convenience sample of 10 biologically childless men were recruited through the snowball method and interviewed individually. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were then analysed using Grounded Theory. Results: A core category, ‘Lifescape’s of childless men: enduring anticipation and expectation in an uncharted world’, divided into three meta themes: Emotive Forces, Extant Agency, and Life Course. The desire for parenthood appeared to peak in the 30s, gradually reduced, but did not cease. The participants also revealed ...
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The global trend of an increasingly ageing population and a declining fertility rate has been widely accepted. Moreover, as men’s mortality rates are predicted to soon equal women’s, the gender profile of the UK’s ageing population is... more
The global trend of an increasingly ageing population and a declining fertility rate has been widely accepted. Moreover, as men’s mortality rates are predicted to soon equal women’s, the gender profile of the UK’s ageing population is predicted to change. Childless men are, compared to women, missing from gerontological, sociological, infertility, and psychological research. These fields have all mainly focussed on family and women, with the fertility intentions, history and experience of older men being overlooked. Involuntary childlessness may be seen as a complex bereavement formed by multiple losses with distress levels in both men and women in this population have been found to be as high those with grave medical conditions This paper aims to provide some insight in to the experiences of involuntarily childless (older men. Drawing on 27 in-depth biographical interviews (lasting 1-5 hours) conducted with 14 men aged between 49 and 82 from across the country. This paper highlight...
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IntroductionThere has been a phenomenal worldwide increase in the development and use of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) that monitor menstruation and fertility. Critics argue that many of the apps are inaccurate and lack... more
IntroductionThere has been a phenomenal worldwide increase in the development and use of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) that monitor menstruation and fertility. Critics argue that many of the apps are inaccurate and lack evidence from either clinical trials or user experience. The aim of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the research literature on mHealth apps that track menstruation and fertility.MethodsThis project followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. The ACM, CINAHL, Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for material published between 1 January 2010 and 30 April 2019. Data summary and synthesis were used to chart and analyse the data.ResultsIn total 654 records were reviewed. Subsequently, 135 duplicate records and 501 records that did not meet the inclusion criteria were removed. Eighteen records from 13 countries form the basis of this review. The papers reviewed cover a variety of disciplinary and methodological frame...
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“The large volume of academic literature and general media on motherhood highlights the small amount on fatherhood. Significantly, there is even less work on male involuntary childlessness and childlessness-by-circumstance.” “Men’s... more
“The large volume of academic literature and general media on motherhood highlights the small amount on fatherhood. Significantly, there is even less work on male involuntary childlessness and childlessness-by-circumstance.”
“Men’s experience of involuntary childlessness has been marginalised, if not ignored almost entirely, in the research literature.”
These quotes make the motivation for Dr Hadley’s work clear. Without question, for anyone interested in the experiences of childless men, this is a most valuable source. The dearth of research on the topic is recommendation enough. Based on Hadley’s doctoral study, the central focus of the book is the extensive set of interviews with fourteen childless men in later life. One of the factors which emerges is that such childless men consider themselves outsiders from the world of parents and families. It is worth noting, then, that Rob Hadley considers himself an insider to their world, as a self-defined involuntarily childless man.
“Men’s experience of involuntary childlessness has been marginalised, if not ignored almost entirely, in the research literature.”
These quotes make the motivation for Dr Hadley’s work clear. Without question, for anyone interested in the experiences of childless men, this is a most valuable source. The dearth of research on the topic is recommendation enough. Based on Hadley’s doctoral study, the central focus of the book is the extensive set of interviews with fourteen childless men in later life. One of the factors which emerges is that such childless men consider themselves outsiders from the world of parents and families. It is worth noting, then, that Rob Hadley considers himself an insider to their world, as a self-defined involuntarily childless man.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Demography, Andrology, and 14 moreEconomics, Anthropology, Research Methodology, Qualitative methodology, Psychotherapy and Counseling, Aging, Biology, Masculinity, Pierre Bourdieu, Life course, Ageing and Health, Sociology of Ageing, Social Gerontology, and Gerontologia
Background to and summary of my book, ‘How is a man supposed to be a man? Male childlessness a Life Course Disrupted.’ Men are a bit fascinating yet their lived experiences – especially when it comes to not reproducing – are seldom told.... more
Background to and summary of my book, ‘How is a man supposed to be a man? Male childlessness a Life Course Disrupted.’
Men are a bit fascinating yet their lived experiences – especially when it comes to not reproducing – are seldom told. For example, many childless men say they are the ‘end of the line’ (see Webb and Daniluk, 1999). There again, I am biased as my MA (Hadley, 2008) and PhD (Hadley, 2015) focused on male involuntary childlessness. However, my experience of researching inro the impact of unwanted male childlessness has identified both the paucity of material on the subject and the need for these men’s voices to be heard (Throsby and Gill, 2004).
I am a mediated childless man – I am a man who always expected to be a father and at times was desperately ‘broody’ to be one. However, a ‘constellation of circumstances’ including shyness, economics, partner selection and the timing of entry and exiting of relationships all influenced my childlessness by circumstance. This journal - way back in 2012 - published my piece ‘Navigating in an uncharted world: how does the desire for fatherhood affect men’ (Hadley, 2012) based on my MSc (Hadley, 2009). At that time I was just two fifths of the way through my PhD examining the lived experiences of older childless men (Hadley, 2015). The results of my study are now a central tenet of my recently published book ‘How is a man supposed to be a man? Male childlessness - a Life Course Disrupted’ (Hadley, 2021a). Why a book on older involuntarily childless men? A great question and one which - like so many in these times - seems simple but one for which the answer is complex. I hope I can answer in a brief but thorough way, using the six ‘W’s’: Why, How, Who, Where, When and What.
Men are a bit fascinating yet their lived experiences – especially when it comes to not reproducing – are seldom told. For example, many childless men say they are the ‘end of the line’ (see Webb and Daniluk, 1999). There again, I am biased as my MA (Hadley, 2008) and PhD (Hadley, 2015) focused on male involuntary childlessness. However, my experience of researching inro the impact of unwanted male childlessness has identified both the paucity of material on the subject and the need for these men’s voices to be heard (Throsby and Gill, 2004).
I am a mediated childless man – I am a man who always expected to be a father and at times was desperately ‘broody’ to be one. However, a ‘constellation of circumstances’ including shyness, economics, partner selection and the timing of entry and exiting of relationships all influenced my childlessness by circumstance. This journal - way back in 2012 - published my piece ‘Navigating in an uncharted world: how does the desire for fatherhood affect men’ (Hadley, 2012) based on my MSc (Hadley, 2009). At that time I was just two fifths of the way through my PhD examining the lived experiences of older childless men (Hadley, 2015). The results of my study are now a central tenet of my recently published book ‘How is a man supposed to be a man? Male childlessness - a Life Course Disrupted’ (Hadley, 2021a). Why a book on older involuntarily childless men? A great question and one which - like so many in these times - seems simple but one for which the answer is complex. I hope I can answer in a brief but thorough way, using the six ‘W’s’: Why, How, Who, Where, When and What.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Demography, Gender Studies, Economics, and 15 moreAnthropology, Family studies, Research Methodology, Gerontology, Family, Masculinity, Life course, Infertility, Counselling & Psychotherapy, Ageing and Health, Aging & the life course, Book Reviews, Autobiography and Biography, Masculinidad, and Male Infertility
ABSTRACT : The event brings together scholars from different disciplines to consider the contemporary social lives of older men. Sociological and gerontological research concerning men’s ageing remains piecemeal and under-theorised... more
ABSTRACT : The event brings together scholars from different disciplines to consider the contemporary social lives of older men. Sociological and gerontological research concerning men’s ageing remains piecemeal and under-theorised despite recognition of the gendered nature of ageing and burgeoning recognition that older men and their needs are largely absent and less considered in academic and public rhetoric. In this context, this timely one-day workshop seeks to improve understanding of contemporary men’s ageing by showcasing current research in this area, to forge a multi-disciplinary network of scholars, practitioners and end users interested in men’s ageing, and to generate future research collaborations.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Gender Studies, Sex and Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and 9 moreQualitative Research, Masculinities, Studies On Men And Masculinity, Infertility, Newspapers and online journalism, Male Infertility, Childlessness and Dalyed Child Bearing, The Daily Telegraph, and In Depth Interviews
Spesialisert poliklinikk for psykosomatikk og traumer / SPST-Sørlandet sykehus. Ved spørsmål om seminaret, ta kontakt med Linda Hodnemyr pst@sshf.no emne UBH. SPST, Gynekologisk avdeling Sørlandet sykehus og Universitetet i Oslo... more
Spesialisert poliklinikk for psykosomatikk og traumer / SPST-Sørlandet sykehus. Ved spørsmål om seminaret, ta kontakt med Linda Hodnemyr pst@sshf.no emne UBH. SPST, Gynekologisk avdeling Sørlandet sykehus og Universitetet i Oslo arrangerer et seminar om Ufrivillig barnløshet og helsemessige perspektiver. Målgruppen er helsepersonell, fastleger, gynekologer, psykologer og psykoterapeuter. Søkes godkj av Psykologforeningen, Dnlf (allmennmedisin,psykiatri,samfunnsmedisin og gynekologi) og NSF Seminaret er selvfølgelig også åpent for personer med interesse for tematikken 24.oktober 2019, kl 08.30-15.00 Sted: Arkivet Vesterveien 4, Kristiansand Fokus innen medisin er i stor grad på tekniske nyvinninger og løsninger som skal føre til graviditet. Det er i mindre grad fokus på behovet for psykologisk omsorg, forebygging og lindring av svekket livskvalitet som følge av uønsket barnløshet. Vi ønsker å sette fokus på en pasientgruppe som sannsynligvis er økende: Ufrivillig barnløse. Prosessen fra utredning til avslutning av medisinsk oppfølging, utgjør en så stor belastning på livskvalitet, psykisk helse og parforhold at det i langt større grad burde vaert satt søkelys på. Internasjonal forskning underbygger dette, og viser at de psykiske reaksjonene på ufrivillig barnløshet ikke står tilbake for det man vet utløses av alvorlige kreftdiagnoser. Ufrivillig barnløshet utgjør for mange en alvorlig krise, med risiko for dårlig livskvalitet, depresjon, angst og samlivsbrudd. Foredragsholderne Professor Cristina Archetti, UiO, PhD Robin Hadley, UK, Filmskaper og sosiolog Hilde Merete Haug, Gynekolog Marita Sandvold Lomheim, Leg. psykolog Professor Emeritus Anders Møller, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset Gøteborg og Psykologspesialist Hildegun Sarita Selle, SPST, SSHF ønsker å bidra til kompetanseheving og bevisstgjøring på aktuelle temaer: sorgprosesser og psykiske reaksjoner ved ufrivillig barnløshet påvirkning på parforhold prisen for å få barn for enhver pris hvordan helsepersonell, omgivelser og samfunn kan bidra til større aksept og bedre livskvalitet hos ufrivillig barnløse Påmelding, send mail til pst@sshf.no og merk med UBH (Bindende påmelding innen 01.10.2019) Kursavgift kr 450,-Skriv fakturaadresse/referanse UBH v påmelding.
Research Interests:
"The global trend of an increasingly ageing population and a declining fertility rate has been widely accepted. Moreover, as men’s mortality rates are predicted to soon equal women’s, the gender profile of the UK’s ageing population is... more
"The global trend of an increasingly ageing population and a declining fertility rate has been widely accepted. Moreover, as men’s mortality rates are predicted to soon equal women’s, the gender profile of the UK’s ageing population is predicted to change. Childless men are, compared to women, missing from gerontological, sociological, infertility, and psychological research. These fields have all mainly focussed on family and women, with the fertility intentions, history and experience of older men being overlooked. Involuntary childlessness may be seen as a complex bereavement formed by multiple losses with distress levels in both men and women in this population have been found to be as high those with grave medical conditions
This paper aims to provide some insight in to the experiences of involuntarily childless (older men. Drawing on 27 in-depth biographical interviews (lasting 1-5 hours) conducted with 14 men aged between 49 and 82 from across the country. This paper highlights the complex intersections between men’s experience of involuntary childlessness and agency, structure, and relationships. It was found there are diverse routes of entering involuntary childlessness of which interpersonal skills, partner selection, timing of relationships, and the assumption of fertility are important factors. The accounts also demonstrated the importance of relationships: the centrality of it to those in them and the desire for one for those not. Grand fatherhood was referenced through four routes: Latent, Adopted, Surrogate, and Proxy. This paper demonstrates how men’s involuntary childlessness affects their life course.
"
This paper aims to provide some insight in to the experiences of involuntarily childless (older men. Drawing on 27 in-depth biographical interviews (lasting 1-5 hours) conducted with 14 men aged between 49 and 82 from across the country. This paper highlights the complex intersections between men’s experience of involuntary childlessness and agency, structure, and relationships. It was found there are diverse routes of entering involuntary childlessness of which interpersonal skills, partner selection, timing of relationships, and the assumption of fertility are important factors. The accounts also demonstrated the importance of relationships: the centrality of it to those in them and the desire for one for those not. Grand fatherhood was referenced through four routes: Latent, Adopted, Surrogate, and Proxy. This paper demonstrates how men’s involuntary childlessness affects their life course.
"
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Gender Studies, Self and Identity, Gerontology, and 11 moreQualitative methodology, Parenting, Aging, Qualitative Research, Masculinities, In-depth Interviews, Public Health, Infertility, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Attitudes towards childlessness, and Reproduction and human fertility
My research explores the life experiences of 14 involuntarily childless men aged between 49 and 82. There is a growing recognition that there is is lack of research into childlessness generally, men, ageing, and the impact of... more
My research explores the life experiences of 14 involuntarily childless men aged between 49 and 82. There is a growing recognition that there is is lack of research into childlessness generally, men, ageing, and the impact of childlessness in later life on relationships, social interaction and networks, health and wellbeing. Dykstra and Hagestad (2007) suggest that older childless adults have been ‘rendered invisible in social science literature’ (p. 1275). Gerontological research has traditionally focussed on older women, because statistics indicated they lived longer, had high chronic co-morbidities, received more state benefits, and occupied the majority of the home care sector (Arber et al, 2003). Similarly most studies into involuntary childlessness (IvC) have focussed on women with childless men generally excluded from the work that has taken place (Dykstra and Keizer, 2009). Most studies on IvC are based on those that access infertility treatment with the figure for the number of the involuntarily childless difficult to gauge, as those who do not seek treatment are not recorded. IvC can result in levels of distress and bereavement for both men and women on a level as those suffering from serious medical conditions. Research into the IvC is therefore of a sensitive nature.
In this presentation I discuss the various methods I employed over 10 months in order to try and access this liminal group. Approaches used include flyers, leaflets, email, newspaper adverts, website, twitter, radio interview, business cards, personal networks, third parties, and support groups. The nature of power in the research process (Nunkoosing, 2005) and how that may manifest itself from the initial invitation to participate will be discussed.
In this presentation I discuss the various methods I employed over 10 months in order to try and access this liminal group. Approaches used include flyers, leaflets, email, newspaper adverts, website, twitter, radio interview, business cards, personal networks, third parties, and support groups. The nature of power in the research process (Nunkoosing, 2005) and how that may manifest itself from the initial invitation to participate will be discussed.
Research Interests: Gender Studies, Feminist Theory, Literature, Popular Culture, Queer Theory, and 29 moreQualitative Methods, Sexuality, Aging, Masculinity, Masculinities, Media, In-depth Interviews, Studies On Men And Masculinity, Anthropology of Europe, Infertility, Aging & the life course, Cognitive Aging, Poststructuralist Theory, Film, Counseling, Gender, Men and Masculinities, Family Nursing, Sucessfful Ageing, Qualitative Research, Ethics in Health Cares, Nursing Competencies and Nursing Education, Qualitative Interviews, Reproduction and human fertility, Healthy Aging, Low Fertility, Anthropological demography, Models of Elder Care, Psychology of Aging, Logevity Studies, Fuctional Competence and Active Ageing, Special Concern Groups of Elderly, Comparative Qualitative Research, and Reproductive Behaviour and Intentions
The dominant thrust of literature regarding men, tends to give a stereotypical hegemonic masculinity portrayal of them as aggressive, stoic, unemotional, self contained, and uncommunicative. For men, the research interview may be viewed... more
The dominant thrust of literature regarding men, tends to give a stereotypical hegemonic masculinity portrayal of them as aggressive, stoic, unemotional, self contained, and uncommunicative. For men, the research interview may be viewed as an environment where masculinity is both displayed and under threat. Although there has been much discussion on the effect of gender in the interpersonal dynamics of interviews, the majority of this debate centres on women interviewing women. Studies that analyse female interviewer and male interviewee highlight that the type of research study can give different views on the interview dynamic. However, there are few studies that analyse the research dynamics of men interviewing women or men interviewing men. This presentation will initially describe the various feminist debates surrounding the qualitative research interview. This will be followed by an exploration of interviews carried out by female and male interviewers with female and male participants. Interviews between male interviewers and interviewees will then be examined, and this will be followed by strategies and recommendations for interviewing men.
Research Interests:
Objective: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that childhood attachment predicts whether a person has children in later life. Background: Although being a parent is considered a typical part of the human life-cycle in... more
Objective: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that childhood attachment predicts whether a person has children in later life.
Background: Although being a parent is considered a typical part of the human life-cycle in most parts of the world, childlessness has increased substantially in recent decades in developed parts of the world. It is possible that insecure childhood attachment has contributed to this phenomenon, but this hypothesis has been relatively little explored.
Method: This study is a cross-sectional survey of 394 men and women aged over 50 years old, stratified by geographical UK region from a research panel, and analysed using hierarchical logistic regression. Validated measures of childhood attachment and other psychological and demographic factors were used.
Results: The main finding was that, independent of the impact of other variables (age, sex, education level, marital status, life stress, health related quality of life, mental positivity, and avoidant attachment style); people who were childless were significantly more likely to have developed an anxious attachment to their primary caregiver in childhood.
Conclusion: This study is the first to demonstrate the significance of anxious childhood attachment as a predictor of producing children in one’s lifetime.
Keywords: childlessness; ambivalence; family structure; social psychology (family); social trends/ social change; survey research
Background: Although being a parent is considered a typical part of the human life-cycle in most parts of the world, childlessness has increased substantially in recent decades in developed parts of the world. It is possible that insecure childhood attachment has contributed to this phenomenon, but this hypothesis has been relatively little explored.
Method: This study is a cross-sectional survey of 394 men and women aged over 50 years old, stratified by geographical UK region from a research panel, and analysed using hierarchical logistic regression. Validated measures of childhood attachment and other psychological and demographic factors were used.
Results: The main finding was that, independent of the impact of other variables (age, sex, education level, marital status, life stress, health related quality of life, mental positivity, and avoidant attachment style); people who were childless were significantly more likely to have developed an anxious attachment to their primary caregiver in childhood.
Conclusion: This study is the first to demonstrate the significance of anxious childhood attachment as a predictor of producing children in one’s lifetime.
Keywords: childlessness; ambivalence; family structure; social psychology (family); social trends/ social change; survey research
Research Interests: Psychology, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Social Sciences, Aging, and 12 moreQuantitative Research, Quantitative Methods, Attachment Theory, Infertility, Ageing and Health, Aging & the life course, Adult attachment, Social Gerontology, Shyness, Online Surveys, Childlessness, and Involuntary Childlessness
Research Interests: History, Gerontology, Narrative, Qualitative methodology, Critical Psychology, and 19 moreDiscourse, Politics, Gender, Masculinity, Qualitative Research, Masculinities, Life course, Sexual Identity, Infertility, Lifecourse studies, Homosexuality, Queer, Gay, Lesbian, Script, Lgbtq, Bisexual, Childlessness by Choice, and Public Policy
Research Interests: Psychoanalysis, Health Psychology, Gender Studies, Sex and Gender, Peace and Conflict Studies, and 33 moreMixed Methods, Embryology, Security, Parenting, Reproduction, Gender and Sexuality, Class, Family, Feminism, Masculinities, Infertility, Abortion, Sex and Sexuality, Sexuality Studies, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Race, Maternity, Reproductive health, Queer, Twentieth-Century Australian History, Assisted Reproductive Technology, Group Analysis, Psychoanalytical Family Therapy, Critical Race and Whiteness Studies, Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Women, Peace & Security, Psychology of Infertility, Psychoanalytical Couples Therapy, Sperm Dna Fragmentation, Care of Prisoners Family, Lesbian and Gay History, Citrizenship, and Sexualtiy Gender and National Identity
Research Interests:
The agony of being a childless man: Women have talked for years about the longing for a baby. Now would-be dads are sharing their pain Estimates suggest 25 per cent of men over 43 are childless: Dr Robin Hadley became childless... more
The agony of being a childless man: Women have talked for years about the longing for a baby. Now would-be dads are sharing their pain
Estimates suggest 25 per cent of men over 43 are childless:
Dr Robin Hadley became childless not-by-choice as his wife was unable to have kids
Sheridan Voysey was diagnosed as infertile after seeking help to have children
They believe men need more support than they are currently getting
By Stefanie Marsh For The Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:34, 29 October 2017 | UPDATED: 08:31, 30 October 2017
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5029609/The-agony-childless-man.html#ixzz4yDXul0co
Estimates suggest 25 per cent of men over 43 are childless:
Dr Robin Hadley became childless not-by-choice as his wife was unable to have kids
Sheridan Voysey was diagnosed as infertile after seeking help to have children
They believe men need more support than they are currently getting
By Stefanie Marsh For The Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:34, 29 October 2017 | UPDATED: 08:31, 30 October 2017
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5029609/The-agony-childless-man.html#ixzz4yDXul0co
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Children and Families, Sexuality, and 13 moreGender and Sexuality, Family, Aging, Gerontology (Social Sciences), Gerontology (in Sociology ), Infertility, Sociology of Ageing, Social Gerontology, Reproduction and human fertility, Assisted Reproduction, Male Infertility, Medical Gerontology, and Childlessness
The Guardian newspaper article on involuntary childless men and women.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Gender Studies, Sex and Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and 9 moreQualitative Research, Masculinities, In-depth Interviews, Studies On Men And Masculinity, Infertility, Gender, Men and Masculinities, Newspapers and online journalism, Male Infertility, and Childlessness and Dalyed Child Bearing
Research Interests:
In my research, I have been honoured to interview men in the UK about their experiences of wanting to be a ‘Dad’. All the meetings have been moving and reflected some aspect of my own thoughts and feelings regarding not becoming a father... more
In my research, I have been honoured to interview men in the UK about their experiences of wanting to be a ‘Dad’. All the meetings have been moving and reflected some aspect of my own thoughts and feelings regarding not becoming a father – a status so easily achieved and important that it can’t usually be talked about. What do the men say? Well quite, a lot and I can just give a flavour of the depth and range that the impact of male involuntary childlessness has had on them.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Narrative, Masculinity Studies, and 11 moreQualitative methodology, Aging, Qualitative Research, Life course, Qualitative Research Methods, Ageing and Health, Fatherhood, Attitudes towards childlessness, Social Gerontology, Male Infertility, and Life-Span Development
Fatherhood is seen as a natural right—a transition that is the ultimate sign that a man is virile, and bestows concomitant status, rights and privileges. The demographic, social, and economic changes across the last few decades have led... more
Fatherhood is seen as a natural right—a transition that is the ultimate sign that a man is virile, and bestows concomitant status, rights and privileges. The demographic, social, and economic changes across the last few decades have led to increased scrutiny of parenthood. Much of the focus is on fertility trends and the impact of childlessness for women. However, although there are more childless men than childless women, there is very little research literature on the impact of male involuntary childlessness.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and 15 moreMental Health, Parenting, Cognitive Ageing, Biology, Feminism, Masculinities, Life course, Infertility, Ageing and Health, Aging & the life course, Sociology of Ageing, Fatherhood, Social Gerontology, Male Infertility, and Life-Course Transitions
Hadley, R. A. (2018). Ageing Without Children, gender and social justice. In S. Westwood (Ed.), Ageing, Diversity and Equality: Social justice perspectives. Abingdon: Routledge, UK
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A lot of later life care is centred on the family. A member of a family, usually an adult daughter or son, informally care for an older parent. Families often include people who are biological kin but who hold a similar status – ‘fictive... more
A lot of later life care is centred on the family. A member of a family, usually an adult daughter or son, informally care for an older parent. Families often include people who are biological kin but who hold a similar status – ‘fictive kin’. For example, a long-term neighbour or friend from school might be known as an Aunty or Uncle. Often the biological child or ‘fictive kin’ is the ‘go-between’ between older parent(s) and formal care services. They perform an essential role in maintaining the dignity and independence of the older person(s) and facilitate access into and out of care services. However, over the last few decades there has been a change in the shape of families. This change is linked to long-term decline in fertility rate, the rise in the age of mortality, economics, increase in divorce rate and stepfamilies. Not only are families smaller than they once were but there is an increase in number of people ageing without children.
Research Interests:
No 14 The Representation of Older People in Ageing Research Series, edited by Anna Tarrant and Jacqueline H. Watts. Sociological and gerontological research concerning men’s ageing remains piecemeal and under - theorised despite... more
No 14 The Representation of Older People in Ageing Research Series,
edited by Anna Tarrant and Jacqueline H. Watts.
Sociological and gerontological research concerning men’s ageing remains piecemeal and under - theorised despite recognition of the gendered nature of ageing and burgeoning recognition that older people and their needs are largely absent and less considered in academic and public rhetoric.The contributors to this one - day workshop sought to improve understanding of contemporary men’s ageing by showcasing current research in this area, to forge a multi-disciplinary network of scholars, practitioners and end users interested in men’s ageing, and to generate future research collaborations.
A joint series from the Centre for Ageing and Biographical Studies at the Open University and the Centre for Policy on Ageing
edited by Anna Tarrant and Jacqueline H. Watts.
Sociological and gerontological research concerning men’s ageing remains piecemeal and under - theorised despite recognition of the gendered nature of ageing and burgeoning recognition that older people and their needs are largely absent and less considered in academic and public rhetoric.The contributors to this one - day workshop sought to improve understanding of contemporary men’s ageing by showcasing current research in this area, to forge a multi-disciplinary network of scholars, practitioners and end users interested in men’s ageing, and to generate future research collaborations.
A joint series from the Centre for Ageing and Biographical Studies at the Open University and the Centre for Policy on Ageing
Research Interests:
It all happens in November when it comes to men. First, the whole month is ‘Movember.’ Second, every 19th November is International Men’s Day (IMD). Finally, on the 23rd November this year is the Men and Boys Coalition National... more
It all happens in November when it comes to men. First, the whole month is ‘Movember.’ Second, every 19th November is International Men’s Day (IMD). Finally, on the 23rd November this year is the Men and Boys Coalition National Conference. They all have a common theme – they all are concerned about men and particularly men’s health and well-being. The focus of this blog is on IMD. IMD originated in 1992 in Trinidad and Tobago and has since moved on to the world stage. The United Kingdom (UK) holds more IMD events than the rest of the world. In their House of Commons Library Briefing Paper the Men and Boys Coalition (MBC) describe IMD in the UK as consisting of three positive themes:
1. Making a positive difference to the wellbeing and lives of men and boys.
2. Raising awareness and/or funds for charities supporting men and boys’ wellbeing.
3. Promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity.
1. Making a positive difference to the wellbeing and lives of men and boys.
2. Raising awareness and/or funds for charities supporting men and boys’ wellbeing.
3. Promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity.
Research Interests:
It all happens in November when it comes to men. First, the whole month is 'Movember.' Second, every 19th November is International Men's Day (IMD). Finally, on the 23rd November this year is the Men and Boys Coalition National... more
It all happens in November when it comes to men. First, the whole month is 'Movember.' Second, every 19th November is International Men's Day (IMD). Finally, on the 23rd November this year is the Men and Boys Coalition National Conference. They all have a
Research Interests:
In the Western world, childlessness affects one in four men and one in five women. In the UK the numbers of people ageing without children aged over 65 years is projected to rise to above 2 million by 2030. Although precarity in ageing is... more
In the Western world, childlessness affects one in four men and one in five women. In the UK the numbers of people ageing without children aged over 65 years is projected to rise to above 2 million by 2030. Although precarity in ageing is increasingly recognised in academia, people ageing without children are not acknowledged as a group and dismissed as a ‘non-category.’ This means they are in danger of being invisible to academia, policymakers and other institutional stakeholders.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Demography, Primary Care, Social Policy, and 14 moreSocial Sciences, Aging, Public Health Policy, Fertility, Social Care For Older People, Health Policy, Infertility, Health Care Management, Ageing and Health, Social Gerontology, Health and Social Care, Public Administration and Policy, Policy Paper, and Public Policy
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Demography, Gender Studies, and 15 moreMen's Studies, Economics, Anthropology, Social Sciences, Gerontology, Aging, Public Health Policy, Masculinity, Masculinities, Infertility, Ageing and Health, Sociology of Ageing, Social Gerontology, Critical studies on men and masculinities, and Childlessness
Sir Mervyn Eastman talks to Robin Hadley about his background, his research and his plans for the future.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The global trend of a declining fertility rate and an increasingly ageing population has been extensively reported. Childless men are, compared to women, absent from geographical, gerontological, masculinities, psychological,... more
The global trend of a declining fertility rate and an increasingly ageing population has been extensively reported. Childless men are, compared to women, absent from geographical, gerontological, masculinities, psychological, reproductive, and sociological research. These fields have mainly focussed on fatherhood, family and women, with the fertility intentions, history and experience of older men being discounted. The failure to fulfil the status of parenthood may lead to a complex form of bereavement and a significant challenge to individual and cultural identity. This qualitative study used a pluralistic framework drawn from the biographical, feminist, gerontological, and life course approaches. A thematic analysis was applied to the semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 men aged between 49 and 82 years. The analysis highlighted the complex intersections between involuntary childlessness and agency, biology, relationships, and socio-cultural structures. This study challenges the stereotype that the social, emotional and relational aspects of involuntary childlessness do not affect men. 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 participants’ narratives demonstrated the diverse elements that affected the men’s experience of involuntary childlessness: upbringing, economics, 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 highlighted in the social networks of both those with and without partners. Awareness of ‘outsiderness’ and a fear of being viewed a paedophile were widely reported.
Research Interests:
The global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population has serious implications for individuals and institutions alike. Childless men are mostly excluded from ageing, social science and reproduction... more
The global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population has serious implications for individuals and institutions alike. Childless men are mostly excluded from ageing, social science and reproduction scholarship and almost completely absent from most national statistics. This unique book examines the lived experiences of a hidden and disenfranchised population: men who wanted to be fathers. It explores the complex intersections that influence childlessness over the life course.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Demography, Nursing, Gender Studies, and 14 moreEconomics, Gerontology, Qualitative methodology, Academic Writing, Masculinity, Qualitative Research, Counselling & Psychotherapy, Health Care Management, Ageing and Health, Medicine, Aging & the life course, Autobiography and Biography, Gerontologia, and Male Infertility
The global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population has serious implications for individuals and institutions alike. Childless men are mostly excluded from ageing, social science and reproduction... more
The global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population has serious implications for individuals and institutions alike. Childless men are mostly excluded from ageing, social science and reproduction scholarship and almost completely absent from most national statistics. This unique book examines the lived experiences of a hidden and disenfranchised population: men who wanted to be fathers. It explores the complex intersections that influence childlessness over the life course.
Research Interests:
Male broodiness: is it a thing? An exploration of men’s desire for fatherhood. Link to e-poster: https://api.ltb.io/show/ABYIO Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of the desire for parenthood (broodiness) in... more
Male broodiness: is it a thing? An exploration of men’s desire for fatherhood.
Link to e-poster: https://api.ltb.io/show/ABYIO
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of the desire for parenthood (broodiness) in childless men compared to non-parents and parents. The vast bulk of studies examining reproductive behaviour, intentions and outcomes focus on women and couples. There are very few studies exploring men’s desire for fatherhood.
Methods: This study is a sequential quantitative-qualitative mixed-methods online survey on the influences, motivations, and reasons for men and women’s desire for parenthood. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive, univariate, and bivariate techniques. Qualitative data were analysed using a latent thematic analysis. Recruitment was by the snowball email method. The sample was formed of 232 respondents with a mean age of 41.37 years (SD = 10.83), a central tendency of female, the majority were White British, degree educated, professional, and heterosexual.
Results: The main finding identified non-parent females and males showed similar levels of desire for parenthood with females scoring slightly higher than males. A higher number of childless men desired parenthood (51.9%) than did not (25.9%). For non-parents economic and social factors were the main influences on the decision for parenthood. Female and male parents demonstrated an equal desire not to repeat parenthood.
Conclusions: The findings from this study did not support the hypothesis (and common belief) that men are not interested or affected by the desire for parenthood. Compared to equivalent women, childless men may experience higher levels of depression and isolation.
Link to e-poster: https://api.ltb.io/show/ABYIO
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of the desire for parenthood (broodiness) in childless men compared to non-parents and parents. The vast bulk of studies examining reproductive behaviour, intentions and outcomes focus on women and couples. There are very few studies exploring men’s desire for fatherhood.
Methods: This study is a sequential quantitative-qualitative mixed-methods online survey on the influences, motivations, and reasons for men and women’s desire for parenthood. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive, univariate, and bivariate techniques. Qualitative data were analysed using a latent thematic analysis. Recruitment was by the snowball email method. The sample was formed of 232 respondents with a mean age of 41.37 years (SD = 10.83), a central tendency of female, the majority were White British, degree educated, professional, and heterosexual.
Results: The main finding identified non-parent females and males showed similar levels of desire for parenthood with females scoring slightly higher than males. A higher number of childless men desired parenthood (51.9%) than did not (25.9%). For non-parents economic and social factors were the main influences on the decision for parenthood. Female and male parents demonstrated an equal desire not to repeat parenthood.
Conclusions: The findings from this study did not support the hypothesis (and common belief) that men are not interested or affected by the desire for parenthood. Compared to equivalent women, childless men may experience higher levels of depression and isolation.
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Mental Health, Biology, and 11 moreHealth, Bioethics Reproductive Technology, Reproductive Biology, Fatherhood, Reproductive health, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Reproduction and human fertility, Motherhood, Parenthood, Childlessness, and Family and Fertility Changes
The vast bulk of studies examining reproductive behaviour, intentions and outcomes focus on women and couples. There are very few studies exploring men’s desire for fatherhood – reflecting the myths that men are not concerned about... more
The vast bulk of studies examining reproductive behaviour, intentions and outcomes focus on women and couples. There are very few studies exploring men’s desire for fatherhood – reflecting the myths that men are not concerned about reproducing and are fully fertile from puberty until death. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of the desire for parenthood (broodiness) in childless men compared to childless women, fathers, and mothers.
Guide to the eight poster tiles.
1. About this poster: a key to the different poster sections
2. Abstract: a brief overview of the research the poster is based on.
3. Full presentation. Consists of eight tiles, the first three are PowerPoint videos followed by supporting material.
a. Part 1: gives the background and aims of the study.
b. Part 2: explores the methodology.
c. Part 3: discusses the results and conclusions.
d. A list of references divided into three subjects: Literature; Methodology and Ethics.
e. A PDF of the complete presentation.
f. The academic paper from the study, 'Male Broodiness: Does the desire for fatherhood affect men?'
g. A bonus academic paper, 'The impact of male involuntary childlessness.'
h. Disclosure statement.
4. Traditional poster: a single page downloadable version of the presentation.
5. Academic paper drawn from the study, 'Male Broodiness: Does the desire for fatherhood affect men?'
6. Book: reviews of my book that explores the impact of ageing on involuntarily childless older men and link to the publisher’s website.
7. Resources on childlessness. Links to support for people who are childless by circumstance, chosen childless, involuntarily childless, and/or biologically childless.
8. About the author: more information about me including mu biography, links to my academic publications, newspaper articles, social media (Instagram Live; podcasts and YouTube video's) and social media (blogs).
Disclosure Statement
There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding
The study was self-funded - no funding was received.
This presentation was self-funded - no funding was received.
Guide to the eight poster tiles.
1. About this poster: a key to the different poster sections
2. Abstract: a brief overview of the research the poster is based on.
3. Full presentation. Consists of eight tiles, the first three are PowerPoint videos followed by supporting material.
a. Part 1: gives the background and aims of the study.
b. Part 2: explores the methodology.
c. Part 3: discusses the results and conclusions.
d. A list of references divided into three subjects: Literature; Methodology and Ethics.
e. A PDF of the complete presentation.
f. The academic paper from the study, 'Male Broodiness: Does the desire for fatherhood affect men?'
g. A bonus academic paper, 'The impact of male involuntary childlessness.'
h. Disclosure statement.
4. Traditional poster: a single page downloadable version of the presentation.
5. Academic paper drawn from the study, 'Male Broodiness: Does the desire for fatherhood affect men?'
6. Book: reviews of my book that explores the impact of ageing on involuntarily childless older men and link to the publisher’s website.
7. Resources on childlessness. Links to support for people who are childless by circumstance, chosen childless, involuntarily childless, and/or biologically childless.
8. About the author: more information about me including mu biography, links to my academic publications, newspaper articles, social media (Instagram Live; podcasts and YouTube video's) and social media (blogs).
Disclosure Statement
There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding
The study was self-funded - no funding was received.
This presentation was self-funded - no funding was received.