Fertility preservation decision making amongst Australian transgender and non-binary adults

Background: Historically, transitioning gender was seen as precluding transgender people from having children in the future. However, there are now increased reproductive options available to transgender people, with such options also available to non-binary people (i.e., people whose gender is not exclusively male or female). These options include undertaking fertility preservation if genetic children may be desired in the future. Despite these increased options, there is still only a limited amount of international research exploring the views of transgender and non-binary people on fertility preservation. Methods: This mixed-methods study draws on a convenience sample of Australian transgender and non-binary adults, focused on their decision making about fertility preservation. The questionnaire was constructed by the authors, drawing on previous research. Participants were recruited via Australian organisations and groups made up of and/or working with people who are transgender or non-binary. The questionnaire was open from January-February 2018. The final sample included 409 participants. Statistical analyses were conducted on the closed-ended responses. Open-ended responses were analysed via a conventional content analysis. Results: Decisions about fertility preservation were influenced by views on the importance of genetic relatedness, willingness to delay transition, economic resources, already having children or desiring children in the future, and the views of significant others. Advice or counselling prior to decision making was received only by a minority of participants. Very few participants (7%) had undertaken fertility preservation, although 95% said that fertility preservation should be offered to all transgender and non-binary people. Participants who viewed genetic relatedness as important were more likely to have undertaken fertility preservation. Conclusions: The findings indicate that fertility preservation should be made available as an option to all transgender or non-binary people prior to undertaking treatment which may impact on fertility. However, it should also be recognised that not all people who are transgender or non-binary will want to undertake fertility preservation, and that not all people may be able to afford to.Damien W. Riggs and Clare Bartholomaeu

The transition to parenthood for Australian heterosexual couples: expectations, experiences and the partner relationship

BACKGROUND:The perinatal period precipitates significant intra- and inter- personal changes. How heterosexual couples understand and account for such changes, however, has received relatively little attention. METHODS:Semi-structured individual interviews were undertaken as part of a longitudinal study on planned first-time parenthood. This article reports on an inductive thematic analysis of a data corpus focused on six interview questions (three from interviews conducted during pregnancy, and three from interviews conducted six months after the birth of the child), derived from interviews with eight individuals (4 women and 4 men) comprising four couples. RESULTS:In antenatal interviews, the theme of intrapersonal changes differentiated participants by two sub-themes that were then linked to postpartum experiences. Those who 'prepared for the worst' reported positive experiences after the arrival of a child, whilst participants who during pregnancy viewed life after the arrival of a child as 'an unknown' experienced challenges. Similarly in terms of the theme of interpersonal change, antenatal interviews were linked to postpartum experiences by two sub-themes, such that participants who approached the impending arrival of a child as a team effort reported that the arrival of a child cemented their relationship, whilst participants who expected that the couple relationship would buffer child-related stressors experienced challenges. CONCLUSIONS:Findings highlight the importance of a focus in antenatal education on the psychological effects of new parenthood, and support for the couple relationship during the perinatal period.Damien W. Riggs, Anna Worth and Clare Bartholomaeu

What it means to be 'manly': Gender, sport and primary school students

Clare Bartholomaeu

Colluding with or challenging hegemonic masculinity? Examining primary school boys' plural gender practices

Research about masculinities in schools often focuses on hegemonic masculinity. This can have the effect of reinforcing the privilege associated with hegemonic masculinity, as well as overlooking differences amongst boys and the plural practices individual boys engage in. Drawing on empirical research in two South Australian primary schools with students aged 6–7 and 11–13, this article examines the complex ways in which boys engaged in plural gender practices. Practices differing from a discourse of (local) hegemonic masculinity related to three key themes: displaying ‘intelligence’ and being studious; involvement in traditionally ‘feminine’ activities; and being caring, loving family and friends, and engaging in cross-gender friendships. This article utilises these themes to argue that practices could work alongside or present challenges to practices relating to a discourse of hegemonic masculinity. An examination of how age and masculinities interweave suggests that a divide between hegemonic and other masculinities and practices is not as distinct as has often been theorised.Clare Bartholomaeu

The desire for a child among a sample of heterosexual Australian couples

Objective: To understand the desire for children among heterosexual couples planning for a first child. Background: In Australia, almost two-thirds of all pregnancies are planned, and over 40% of all children born each year are to first-time mothers. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken as part of a longitudinal study on planned first-time parenthood among Australian heterosexual couples. Ten couples who were planning for a pregnancy were interviewed, men and women separately. Results: An inductive thematic analysis identified four modes of decision-making: (1) female partner-directed, (2) male partner-directed, (3) joint-directed due to circumstance, and (4) joint-directed, and three themes related to the desire to have a child: (1) having children is a natural progression, (2) there is an innate drive to want to have children, and (3) a desire to see oneself reflected in another human being. Conclusions: The paper concludes by exploring the implications of the findings for service provision. Specifically, intending parents may be better supported by services that provide gender-specific information during the planning stage, including about infertility.Damien W. Riggs, Clare Bartholomaeu

Toward trans reproductive justice: a qualitative analysis of views on fertility preservation for Australian transgender and non-binary people

This article is part of the Special Issue “Reproductive Justice: Moving the Margins to the Center in Social Issues Research” Asia A. Eaton and Dionne P. Stephens (Special Issue Editors).This article draws on three Australian studies focused on views about fertility preservation among (1) parents of transgender and non‐binary children, (2) transgender and non‐binary adults, and (3) healthcare professionals working with transgender and non‐binary people. The first two studies were undertaken concurrently given the dearth of research on the topic in the Australian context, and the third study was then undertaken given a primary focus on healthcare professionals in responses to the first two studies. For the present article, a deductive thematic analysis framed by a reproductive justice lens was undertaken on qualitative data from each study. Findings from the first study suggest that while some parents may be supportive of their child's reproductive wishes, other parents may insist upon their child undertaking fertility preservation. In the second study, transgender and non‐binary adults emphasized that gamete retrieval may be framed in cisgenderist ways by healthcare professionals, and that professionals may endorse pronatalism. Finally, healthcare professionals reported normative views about gamete retrieval and framed fertility preservation as an “insurance policy.” This article concludes by considering what the findings have to suggest for the continued development of trans reproductive justice.Damien W. Riggs, Clare Bartholomaeu

Embryo donation and receipt in Australia: views on the meanings of embryos and kinship relations

Research on embryo donation and receipt continues to grow, highlighting how specific national contexts shape views and experiences. The present article reports on a qualitative study on embryo donation and receipt in Australia. Interviews were conducted with 15 participants: embryo donors and those seeking to donate (6), embryo recipients and those seeking donors (3), people with embryos in storage or previously in storage (5), and egg donors where resulting embryos were donated to a third party (1). A deductive thematic analysis identified four key themes: understandings of embryos as cells, potential children, and/or children; a focus on relationships between “siblings”; importance of language and “family words” in discussing relationships; and extended family members having difficulty understanding the concept of embryo donation. The article concludes with a consideration of the implications of the findings in terms of the practice of embryo donation and the policies that surround it.Clare Bartholomaeus and Damien W. Rigg

‘That’s my job’: accounting for division of labour amongst heterosexual first time parents

Published online: 10 Apr 2018For heterosexual couples who enter into parenthood, having a first child often has a significant impact on the ways in which their lives are organised. Importantly, women typically take on the greatest share of household and care work, reflecting broader cultural norms in relation to gender. Drawing on case studies of four Australian heterosexual couples, this article examines the ways in which the couples discussed the distribution of household and care work. By tracking the same couples from prior to pregnancy to after the birth of their child, we are able to focus on expectations and ideals in relation to unpaid and paid work, and how these relate to what happens in practice. The cases suggest four key issues, namely (1) the positioning of household and care work as not being work, (2) the positioning of women as ‘lucky’ if their male partner is ‘helpful’, (3) the primary orientation of men towards earning a paid income as a way of providing for their family, and (4) the unequal distribution of caring responsibility. The paper concludes by considering the implications of these issues with regard to how the division of labour is understood in the context of heterosexual first-time parents.Damien W. Riggs and Clare Bartholomaeu

Daughters and their mothers: the reproduction of pronatalist discourses across generations

Abstract not availableClare Bartholomaeus, Damien W. Rigg