The Constraining Impact of Infertility on Women's Leisure Lifestyles

Abstract

Research has focused on documenting the physiological causes and psychological consequences of infertility, while other issues such as the impact of infertility on a woman's leisure and quality of life have received little attention (Imeson & McMurray, 1996). Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to examine the constraining influence of infertility on a woman's leisure lifestyle. Through an analysis of the data, three ways the experience of infertility affected a woman's access to or enjoyment of leisure pursuits included: (1) the all-consuming experience of infertility resulted in women who had little or no leisure in their lives, (2) the changes in a woman's life as a result of seeking infertility treatment negatively impacted her leisure lifestyle, and (3) the women felt socially isolated as a result of infertility, which negatively influenced their leisure satisfaction.

Keywords:

• constraint
• feminist epistemology
• infertility
• quality of life
• women's leisure

This research would not have been possible without the many women who shared with me their experiences with infertility. I express my sincere thanks to each participant who graciously gave her time and energy to my research. Also, many thanks to my committee members including Daniel T. Cook, Norman K. Denzin, Constance Shapiro, and my advisor Kimberly J. Shinew, who offered me invaluable insight throughout this project. Lastly, I thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful feedback on this manuscript.