British Pakistani Moslems, infertility and the new reproductive technologies: An ethnographic study of contemporary attitudes and responses

Simpson, Robert and Hampshire, Kate (2017). British Pakistani Moslems, infertility and the new reproductive technologies: An ethnographic study of contemporary attitudes and responses. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-851829

In this study, ethnographic and interview-based research will be carried out into the impacts of infertility on the lives of British Pakistanis Moslems. Infertility carries particular stigma among this group; it can alter identities and affect family/social relationships. One of the main aims of the project is to understand the changing meanings of infertility in the context of changing patterns of family and kinship more generally in the UK. A key element of the study is its focus on the new reproductive technologies and the consequences that their increasing availability has for this community. The objectives of the research were as follows: (1) to understand how infertility of various kinds and degrees is situated within the full range of experiences of family formation among British Pakistanis; (2) to identify the personal and social implications of involuntary childlessness for Pakistanis living in Britain at the present time; (3) to describe the various response that members of the community have to this condition; (4) to investigate the ways in which British Pakistanis are engaging with possibilities for treatment that are offered by NRTs; (5) to explore the ethical and religious discourses that currently surround NRTs which enable and facilitate the ethical accommodation of some practices and the rejection of others; (6) to canvass the views of medical professionals performing treatments for British Pakistani Muslim couples facing fertility problems; (7) to use the data and analysis produced to inform policy and practice, and particularly as these relate to the development of culturally appropriate interventions and treatment among ethnic minority groups.

Data description (abstract)

In this 2 phase study, 100 individual birth histories will be collected in order to situate infertility within the full range of fertility experiences among British Pakistanis. Secondly, in-depth interviews and life histories with 30-40 individuals who are seeking or who have recently used fertility treatment will enable detailed exploration of how people negotiate their quest for a child. Within this group careful attention will be paid to discourses of religion and science, understandings of the body, and meanings of marriage, kinship and family life. Interviews will also be conducted with community/religious leaders and health workers.

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