What is it about?
This paper explores how childlessness impacts on the social networks of older non-heterosexual and heterosexual childless men who wanted to be dad. It shows how the men's intimate and wider relationships are affected and how the men are viewed by others.
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Why is it important?
This research is important because there is little work on childless older men even though there are more childless men than childless women.
Perspectives
I hope this article makes people think about how childlessness affects people for their whole lives and in lots of different ways.
Dr Robin A Hadley
Manchester Metropolitan University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: ‘It's most of my life – going to the pub or the group’: the social networks of involuntarily childless older men, Ageing and Society, July 2019, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/s0144686x19000837.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Male Psychology Network Blog: Myths of Manhood: Breaking Dad, Fracking Fatherhood –
Blog summarising the chapter. “Men can have children at any time in their lives.” “Men aren’t bothered about being a dad.” These statements are often made, without really considering how much truth there is in them. and are often overheard by myself and many other men who are childless-by-circumstance. Unfortunately, the belief that men are not interested in reproduction is widely held in the public and across the social sciences. The reality for men who don’t conform to the ideal of fatherhood is very different than many people realise.
Ageing Issues Blog: The Reflective Call of Carers Ageing without Children and/or Family: ‘Who will be there for me when I need it?
Blog setting out the importance of needing more data about people ageing without children & their needs.
Pre-publication draft available via the Manchester Metropolitan University Research Repository
A pre-publication draft of 'It's most of my life - going to the pub or the group': the social networks of involuntarily childless older men. ' May be slightly different from the published piece.
Book, '"How is a man supposed to be a man"? Male childlessness - a Life Course Disrupted.'
REVIEWS “I think this is an excellent piece of scholarship that covers an often unspoken topic in a sensitive, novel and comprehensive way. In this sense, it contributes important new knowledge to an area by considering it from a different viewpoint – most notably moving beyond a simple biomedical view or an experiential view of younger men and infertility.” • Steve Robertson, University of Sheffield “a ground-breaking book shining the light on men and their experiences, how men may feel when they don’t end up having children for one reason or another e.g. not meeting the right person, infertility.” • Guild of Health Writers “This book provides gerontologists with much needed insights into the lived experiences of male childlessness from a life course perspective embedded in critical theoretical approaches on normative life course expectations, ageing and gender, as well as family and social relations… Robin Hadley’s work is both critical and reflexive. He locates his theoretical work within feminist scholarship and acknowledges his position within the field of research by examining his own biography and social position and what that means when conducting interviews with men who describe themselves as involuntarily childless…The methods chapter can be added to reading lists for postgraduate students and the pen portraits of each of the interviewees are a rare and valuable source for learning about qualitative research and reflexivity.” • Aging and Society “The book has some features that make it interesting to readers from both a professional and a wider audience. First, it is very well referenced and equipped with details related to methodology of the study… It is well written, often in a personalised language, with accounts of the author’s experiences related both to the process of data collection and analysis and to the dissemination of results. The Epilogue particularly warrants attention, as it brings reflections not only on myths around men and masculinities, but also on childlessness in later life and COVID-19 –reflections that additionally illustrate the effects of not becoming a father.” • Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology “A highly personal book yet also an academic one with all the critical rigour that entails and makes this a compelling book. It’s a must read for illuminating men’s experiences of involuntary childlessness for one reason or another…This is a rich thought provoking emotional yet highly academic book – and with its clear structure and excellent index a huge resource to be drawn on.” • Medical Journalists Association “This is an important piece of work that addresses areas of masculinity, sexuality, life and an exploration of lived lives through research that have previously been underrepresented in the academic and public press.” • Josephine Tetley, Manchester Metropolitan University DESCRIPTION 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. How to cite: Hadley, R. A. (2021). How is a man supposed to be a man? Male childlessness - a Life Course Disrupted. New York: Berghahn Books.
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