The Second ISA Forum of Sociology: Social justice and democratization
Buenos Aires, Argentina – August 1-4, 2012

Call for abstracts

Title of the session: Men and Reproduction

Format of the session: Regular session – five 20-minute presentations

Description: Internationally, many societies are experiencing a cultural transformation of fatherhood towards the contemporary ideal of the involved nurturing father with the expectation of men’s involvement across the reproductive trajectory from reproductive planning to equal co-parenting. This cultural momentum is also being ‘pushed’ internationally through government policies based on the perceived economic, health and well-being benefits of fatherhood involvement in children’s lives. In academic research, the application of Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities to the sociology of human reproduction, provides an added impetus to the re-conceptualisation of reproduction in inter-relational terms (rather than as ‘women’s difficulty’), and attempts to empirically and critically explore men’s involvement in reproduction.

This debate on men and reproduction links to the themes of this ISA Forum in that it mirrors the broader sociological debate relating to the rhetoric and reality of the democratisation of gender relations in the intimate sphere and the emergence of relationships that are more equally and mutually satisfying. In addition, the debate is often framed in terms of ‘social justice’ for fathers in societies which prioritise mothers over fathers as the socially accepted best carers of children.

Expected key themes

Papers will critically explore men’s involvement within the reproduction/parenting arena. In particular, papers may focus on men’s involvement in reproductive planning/the procreative realm. Topics of papers might include (but are not limited to):

• Men’s fertility views
• Men and the social psychology of infertility
• Men and pregnancy resolution/Men and Abortion
• Men and adoption
• Men and childbirth preparation classes
• Men’s experiences with prenatal ultrasounds
• Men and Assisted Reproductive Technologies
• Men’s identities in multi-partner paternity
• Men and miscarriage
• Gay men’s desires to have a child
• Men, HIV and reproduction
• Sperm donors: Participating and Recruiting
• Politics of men and reproduction

We will be actively seeking opportunities to have the papers published in a journal OR a book format.

Language: English

Organizers:

Maria Lohan, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. Email: m.lohan@qub.ac.uk

Lorraine Culley, De Montfort University, England. Email: lac@dmu.ac.uk

William Marsiglio, University of Florida, US. Email: marsig@ufl.edu

Submission of Abstracts

Please submit your abstract through the ISA website: http://www.isa-sociology.org/buenos-aires-2012/ by December 15th.