Mis(sed) Conceptions: Motherhood Through the Lens of Involuntary Childlessness

Abstract

The present study examined predictors of fertility-specific distress in the experience of involuntary childlessness. One hundred and twelve women took part in this online study. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Fertility Problem Inventory, the Relational Health Indices, the Feminist Perspectives Scale, the Traditional Motherhood Scale, and the Hoffman Gender Scale. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to examine how feminist perspectives, traditional mothering values, gender self-confidence, and relational quality related to fertilityrelated distress. The regression analysis revealed that traditional mothering values, relational quality, age, and income significantly predicted fertility-related distress. Specifically, higher endorsement of traditional mothering values significantly predicted higher levels of fertility-related distress, while higher levels of relational quality significantly predicted less fertility-related distress. Younger age and lower income significantly predicted fertility-related distress. These results may inform counseling strategies when working with women who have experienced reproductive problems and may add to the growing body of literature investigating involuntary childlessness from a feminist perspective. Placing women’s reproductive struggles in a sociocultural context may help to increase women’s sense of agency, autonomy, and authenticity in negotiating their own perceptions of motherhood as they make reproductive decisions.