Collaborative Research: The Cultural Context of Infertility in Southern Nigeria: Meanings, Consequences and Coping Mechanisms

合作研究：尼日利亚南部不孕不育的文化背景：意义、后果和应对机制

• 批准号: 0345849
• 负责人: Ulla Larsen
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-07-01 至 2008-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0345849&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Cultural; Context; Infertility

Infertility (the inability to conceive or to carry a pregnancy to full term) is a problem of major proportions in sub-Saharan Africa, where in many societies women who are unable to bear children are stigmatized and are often unable to reach full social adulthood. The problem of infertility in Africa received relatively little attention from social scientists since it was obscured by the region's high fertility rates, which resulted in a concern over population growth. This research by a team of an anthropologist, a demographer and a sociologist involves a comparative in-depth study of infertility in the context of two southern Nigerian communities. It will investigate local meanings of infertility as these are shaped by the social and cultural context; the impact of the prevalence of infertility on these meanings; and how the community responses as well as the life experiences and treatment-seeking behaviors of infertile women and their male partners among the Ijo and Yakurr people. The two communities, Patani in the Niger Delta and Ugep in Cross River State, are primarily rural and located in the same region of the country. Descent in Patani is patrilineal whereas in Ugep it is double unilineal. In addition, high levels of infertility are historically documented for Ugep, whereas infertility levels in Patani are relatively low. The amount of stigma attached to female infertility in Patani is considerably higher than it is in Ugep. The project will study how these differential responses to infertility are related to the differences in social organization and infertility rates. This comparative study of these communities will examine the meaning of infertility in its local context as well as analyze the social and cultural variables that influence those meanings. The broader impact of the research lies in the value of the new information for policy makers, health care specialists and social service providers. Given that no cure exists for infertility in the context of sub-Saharan African, prevention through awareness of the causes of infertility is the only means whereby its incidence and prevalence may be lowered. A better understanding of the social consequences of infertility will help formulate strategies aimed at ameliorating the stigma associated with it and also contribute to better understanding of fertility. The research will also contribute to building a partnership with Nigerian researchers. The intellectual merit lies in a contribution to the field of demographic anthropology, specifically to the creation of "whole demographies" which take account of the interaction of individuals with their cultural contexts.

不孕不育（无法怀孕或足月妊娠）是撒哈拉以南非洲地区的一个主要问题，在许多社会中，无法生育的妇女受到侮辱，并且往往无法完全进入社会成年。非洲的不孕不育问题受到社会科学家的关注相对较少，因为该地区的高生育率掩盖了这一问题，从而导致了对人口增长的担忧。这项研究由人类学家、人口学家和社会学家组成的团队进行，涉及对尼日利亚南部两个社区的不孕不育问题进行比较深入的研究。它将调查不孕症的当地含义，因为这些含义是由社会和文化背景决定的；不孕症患病率对这些含义的影响；以及社区的反应以及伊乔人和雅库尔人中不孕妇女及其男性伴侣的生活经历和寻求治疗的行为。尼日尔三角洲的帕塔尼和克罗斯河州的乌杰普这两个社区主要是农村地区，位于该国同一地区。北大年的血统是父系血统，而乌杰普的血统是双单系血统。此外，Ugep 的不孕率历史记录较高，而北大年的不孕率相对较低。北大年女性不孕症的耻辱程度远高于乌杰普。该项目将研究这些对不孕不育的不同反应如何与社会组织和不孕率的差异相关。对这些社区的比较研究将探讨不孕症在当地背景下的含义，并分析影响这些含义的社会和文化变量。该研究的更广泛影响在于新信息对政策制定者、医疗保健专家和社会服务提供者的价值。鉴于撒哈拉以南非洲地区的不孕症尚无治愈方法，通过了解不孕症的原因进行预防是降低其发病率和患病率的唯一手段。更好地了解不孕不育的社会后果将有助于制定旨在改善与之相关的耻辱的策略，并有助于更好地了解生育能力。该研究还将有助于与尼日利亚研究人员建立伙伴关系。智力价值在于对人口人类学领域的贡献，特别是对“整体人口统计学”的创建，该“整体人口统计学”考虑了个人与其文化背景的相互作用。