Terry, Gareth and Braun, Virginia
(2011).
|
Due to copyright restrictions, this file is not available for public download Click here to request a copy from the OU Author. |
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link: | http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1177/0959353511419814 |
|---|---|
| Google Scholar: | Look up in Google Scholar |
Abstract
This article examines vasectomy as a gendered practice of (non)reproductive masculinity. Reporting on interview-based data, in which a number of New Zealand men made sense of the operation, this article used critical thematic analysis to extract themes from semi-structured interviews with participants who had vasectomies in ‘typical’ circumstances. Primary themes of ‘taking responsibility’ and ‘vasectomy as an act of minor heroism’ were extracted from the data. We will argue that men constructed their ‘new found’ responsibility (and the heroic slant they added to it) within an ‘economy of gratitude’, meaning any involvement by men in the reproductive/contraceptive sphere is worthy of particular praise and value. While there may be some strategic value in these ideas, they draw upon existing discourses of orthodox masculinities and in this way may perpetuate (rather than challenge) the notion that men are doing something ‘special’ by having a vasectomy. This ‘specialness’ has the potential to ratify ongoing male privilege within heterosexual relationships, rather than the disruption that (at face value) it appears to be generating.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | 2011 The Authors |
| ISSN: | 1461-7161 |
| Keywords: | ‘economy of gratitude’; heroism; masculinity; responsibility; vasectomy |
| Academic Unit/Department: | Health and Social Care |
| Item ID: | 34287 |
| Depositing User: | Gareth Terry |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Sep 2012 13:50 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Oct 2012 14:26 |
| URI: | http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/34287 |
Actions (login may be required)
| View Item | |
| Report issue / request change |