Blame or Shame: The Search for Online Support and Stigma Origin Among Israeli Childless Women

Abstract

This study employed the uses and gratifications approach to examine the role of online support forums in coping with the stigma of childlessness in Israel. The study compared two online support groups: one for Israeli women with fertility issues and another for Israeli women who are voluntarily childless. A quantitative content analysis was used to examine the frequency of support message types, and in-depth interviews with group members were used to examine members’ motivations for seeking these support types. The origin of the childlessness stigma carried great influence in the search for social support. Fertility forum members searched significantly more for information and emotional support to cope with a condition they felt was being forced on them and that was also perceived by society. However, voluntarily childless forum members sought significantly more for esteem and network support to cope with the social isolation stemming from unfavorable views toward their reproductive choice.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author would like to thank Edo Steinberg for his assistance in this research.

Notes

¹ http://www.tapuz.co.il/forums2008/forumpage.aspx?forumid=180.

² http://www.tapuz.co.il/forums2008/forumpage.aspx?forumid=1105.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daphna Yeshua-Katz

Daphna Yeshua-Katz (Ph.D., Indiana University, 2015) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Her research interests include the social roles computer-mediated communication plays for stigmatized individuals and online boundary work—the efforts group members invest in defining who is an authentic member of the group.