‘No longer invincible’: the impact of involuntary childlessness on older men

Abstract

Background

The global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population has led to increased scrutiny of parenthood. Although there are more childless men than childless women, there is very little research literature on the impact of male childlessness. The childless are absent from much social science literature, which has mainly focussed on family and women. Feminist studies into infertility and ageing have highlighted the absence of the male experience. Involuntary childlessness has been viewed as a complex bereavement formed by multiple losses. Distress levels in both men and women in this population have been found to be as high those with grave medical conditions.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine older men’s experience of involuntary childlessness.

Methods

This piece draws on my qualitative auto/biographical doctoral study that was framed by biographical, life course, gerontological, and feminist approaches. Data collection involved in-depth semi-structured biographical interviews with 14 self-defined involuntary childless men aged between 49 and 82 years from across the United Kingdom. A latent thematic analysis highlighted the complex intersections between agency, biology, childlessness, economics, mental and physical health, relationships, and socio-cultural structures.

Major findings

Findings countered the stereotype that men are not interested in reproduction. I argue that that involuntary childlessness should be considered as a significant factor in older men’s poor health and social capital.

Conclusions

This piece challenges the common narratives that the social, emotional, and relational aspects of involuntary childlessness do not affect men.

Keywords:

• Aging
• bereavement
• childlessness
• health
• men
• masculinities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robin A. Hadley

Robin’s PhD (Keele, 2015) examined the experiences of involuntarily childless older men. His counselling and own experience of childlessness led him to self-fund his MA and MSc (University of Manchester, 2008; 2009) on respectively, the desire for fatherhood in childless men and the levels of desire for parenthood in non-parents and parents. He is a founder member of the campaign group Ageing Without Children. Recently he collaborated in research projects on: dementia technology; health monitoring technology; tracking technology for people-living-with-dementia, and the father’s influence on infant feeding. Previous careers include counsellor, scientific photographer, and kitchen assistant. Robin is a working class man from Old Trafford, Manchester, UK. He was born in 1960, the seventh of eight children.