scholarly journals Constructions of surrogates, egg donors, and mothers: Swedish gay fathers’ narratives

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 508-528
Author(s):  
Anna Malmquist ◽  
Sonja Höjerström
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Function ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Surrogate Mother ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Close Family Member ◽  
Gay Fathers ◽  
Discursive Analysis ◽  
Egg Donor ◽  
Egg Donors ◽  
Close Family

The study explored in detail how Swedish gay fathers (through surrogacy) talked about the surrogate mother and the egg donor. Thirteen semi-structured interviews with 22 gay fathers were conducted and analysed using critical discursive analysis. The surrogates were primarily constructed as a close family member, but occasionally in terms of their instrumental function. They were often described as active and independent, but occasionally as vulnerable or exploited. The egg donors were in some interviews constructed as close family members, while others talked about them as distant acquaintances. Further, donors were constructed either as a significant individual (for the fathers), or as an instrumental provider of the oocyte. While some participants constructed the surrogate and/or donor as their child’s mother(s), others were more reluctant or ambivalent about the mother construct. In conclusion, the participants engaged in rhetorical work that shed a positive light on surrogacy, and their own decisions were depicted as solid, ethical and genuine. The participants’ positive framing can be understood as the production of a counter discourse, in relation to an ongoing debate in Sweden, in which surrogacy is constructed as exploitation, dehumanization and prostitution.

scholarly journals HOW TO ‘SELL’ THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE? PROMOTING THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE WITHIN TWO NORTH AMERICA COMMUNITIES

Diacrítica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Fabio Scetti
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Discursive Analysis ◽  
Ethnographic Approach ◽  
The Future ◽  
Global Language

This contribution presents the analysis of the position of the Portuguese language within two Portuguese communities located in North America: in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States of America. Enrollments are decreasing within the communitarian schools of the two communities, and some actors within these institutions are mobilizing discourses about the power of Portuguese as a global language of the future, a language of business. Thanks to our ethnographic approach, we observed discourses promoted by these institutions not anymore as a Heritage Language (HL), but ‘selling’ Portuguese as a new language for the future. Moreover, we realized how the nationalist paradigm in which one language is equal to one nation or community, and this refers to one norm, is maintained to support this new position. Due to a qualitative methodology, mixing interactional observation and semi-structured interviews, we aimed to articulate discursive analysis and analysis of language practices, mainly focusing on the perception and the identification of what is perceived as the ‘good’ Portuguese. Speakers continue to interrogate mixed or hybrid practices according to their repertoires and considering each context or situation. This may help questioning the complex ideology of ‘purity’ of a language.

Exploring the relevancy of random and scheduled alcohol breathalyser testing in high-risk jobs within safety-sensitive work settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vusi Mthimkhulu ◽  
Hugo D. Van der Walt
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Alcohol Intoxication ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
Value Add ◽  
Viable Method

Orientation: Workplace testing is seen as a viable method in monitoring alcohol intoxication in the workplace. This article explored lived experiences of random and scheduled alcohol breathalyser testing to gain insights into meaning and understanding of the phenomenon under study.Research purpose: Random and scheduled testing are preferred techniques of assessing intoxication in the workplace. This article set to gain insights into whether behaviour can have an influence on the effectiveness of random and scheduled testing. The information can contribute to the ongoing debate on the efficacy of workplace testing and lays groundwork for future studies.Motivation for the study: Emergent data seem to suggest that the success of workplace testing in preventing alcohol and substance use in the workplace is indecisive.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative method was employed to collect data from eight alcohol-consuming individuals who performed jobs considered safety-sensitive through semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed through the application of an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).Main findings: Findings revealed incidents of alcohol intoxication within the workplace in spite of random and scheduled testing in place. There seems to be a disregard for rules that prohibit intoxication in the workplace. Money bribes seem to enable cheating on testing in the workplace. Behaviour undercuts the goal of an alcohol-free workplace.Practical implications: Behaviour stemming from on-site intoxication and cheating on alcohol tests hinders on the goal of attaining an alcohol-free workplace.Contribution/value-add: The analysis of behaviour could contribute to the ongoing debate regarding the efficacy of workplace testing.

The Woman or the Egg?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Reproductive Medicine ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Egg Donor ◽  
Egg Donors ◽  
Scientific Discourses ◽  
American Society ◽  
Scientific Debates

This chapter contextualizes the shifting popular and scientific discourses of race since the mid-twentieth century by analyzing databases of egg donors and surrogates created by agencies to connect intended parents with the women who provide these services. Selected from a list curated by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, agencies are contrasted based on their representation of traits like the race and ethnicity of surrogates and egg donors. Reproductive technologies demonstrate that despite scientific debates, race-based medicines continue to promote and reflect a popular understanding of distinct biological races. Thus, the egg donor and surrogacy databases built by ART clinics reflect often-unspoken assumptions about race and heritability.

Egg Donation and Exotic Beauty

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy Deomampo
Keyword(s):  
Skin Color ◽  
Skin Tone ◽  
Egg Donation ◽  
Social Hierarchies ◽  
Indian Women ◽  
Egg Donor ◽  
Egg Donors ◽  
Donor Egg ◽  
Biological Race ◽  
Racial Hierarchies

Chapter 3 analyzes constructions of skin color and race in intended parents’ narratives about the experience of selecting an egg donor. This chapter shows how egg donors of different backgrounds are differently valued, bolstering social hierarchies. At the same time, the chapter describes the diversity of ways that intended parents approach race and skin tone when choosing an egg donor. In contrast to dominant assumptions that intended parents seek donors who match their own ethnic backgrounds in order to reproduce whiteness, the process of egg donation represented an opportunity for many intended parents to subvert racial hierarchies by selecting Indian donors with darker skin tones. The chapter argues that such narratives, however, misrecognize donor egg selection as an opening to challenge racial hierarchies; instead, such decisions rely on essentialized notions of race and beauty that exoticize Indian women and reflect new articulations of biological race.

Have Eggs, Will Travel: The Experiences and Ethics of Global Egg Donation

Somatechnics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Kroløkke
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Moral Economy ◽  
Egg Donation ◽  
Photographic Material ◽  
Egg Donor ◽  
Egg Donors

Feminist scholars have critically questioned the practices and ethics of reproductive mobility. While the reproductive mobility of fertility patients has been foregrounded, little is known of egg donor mobility including the experiences of travelling internationally to donate eggs. Based on written stories and photographic material provided by forty-two egg donors, this article uses feminist cluster analysis and the concept of eggpreneurship to illustrate how global egg donors negotiate reproductive agency and choice when they travel internationally to donate their eggs. In their stories, global egg donors position egg donation through a moral economy of gifting and an affective economy of desire in which reproductive mobility is transformed from a gift to a trip of a lifetime.

scholarly journals The Clustering of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: Are Gender and Poverty Important?

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052093509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca E. Lacey ◽  
Laura D. Howe ◽  
Michelle Kelly-Irving ◽  
Mel Bartley ◽  
Yvonne Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Parental Mental Health ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Close Family Member ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Avon Longitudinal Study ◽  
Close Family

Previous research has demonstrated a graded relationship between the number of Adverse Childhood Experiences reported (an ACE score) and child outcomes. However, ACE scores lack specificity and ignore the patterning of adversities, which are informative for interventions. The aim of the present study was to explore the clustering of ACEs and whether this clustering differs by gender or is predicted by poverty. Data on 8,572 participants of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were used. ALSPAC is a regionally representative prenatal cohort of children born between 1991 and 1992 in the Avon region of South-West England. ACEs included parental divorce, death of a close family member, interparental violence, parental mental health problems, parental alcohol misuse, parental drug use, parental convictions, and sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, between birth and 19 years. Latent class analysis was used to derive ACE clusters and associations between poverty, gender, and the derived classes tested using multinomial logistic regression. Five latent classes were identified: “Low ACEs” (55%), “Parental separation and mother’s mental health problems” (18%), “Parental mental health problems, convictions and separation” (15%), “Abuse and mental health problems” (6%), and “Poly adversity” (6%). Death of a close family member and sexual abuse did not cluster with other adversities. The clustering did not differ by gender. Poverty was strongly related to both individual ACEs and clusters. These findings demonstrate that ACEs cluster in specific patterns and that poverty is strongly related to this. Therefore, reducing child poverty might be one strategy for reducing ACEs.

scholarly journals Relatives’ experiences of sharing a written life story about a close family member with dementia who has moved to residential care: An interview study

Nursing Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Kazimiera Andersson ◽  
Helén Dellkvist ◽  
Ulrika Bernow Johansson ◽  
Lisa Skär
Keyword(s):  
Family Member ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Interview Study ◽  
Close Family Member ◽  
Close Family

scholarly journals The Development and Psychometric Validation of a Comprehensive Measure Assessing Fear of Incompetence among Adults Who Have a Family Member with Dementia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Ashley E. Thompson ◽  
Anca M. Miron ◽  
Jonathan M. Rogers ◽  
Rudy Rice
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Psychometric Validation ◽  
Temporal Consistency ◽  
Close Family Member ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Close Family

Because the interpersonal skills of individuals with dementia often decline, family members may question their own ability to interact meaningfully. These family members may experience fear of incompetence (i.e., fear of being unable to relate in a meaningful way or take care of a close family member with dementia). Thus, the goal of this research was to develop, refine, and psychometrically validate a scale (Fear of Incompetence—Dementia Scale; FOI-D) assessing fear of incompetence in the context of relationships with a close family member diagnosed with dementia. Three online studies were conducted to accomplish the primary objective. In Study One, the factor structure of the FOI-D was assessed by conducting an exploratory factor analysis using data from 710 adults who indicated having a close living family member who had been diagnosed with dementia. In Study Two, the factor structure was validated via a confirmatory factor analysis and the psychometric properties were established using data from 636 adults who had a family member with dementia. Finally, Study Three determined the temporal consistency of the scale by retesting 58 participants from Study Two. The results from Study One indicated that the FOI-D Scale accounted for 51.75% of the variance and was comprised of three subscales: the Interaction Concerns subscale, the Caregiving Concerns subscale, and the Knowledge Concerns subscale. In Study Two, the three-factor structure was supported, resulting in a 58-item scale. Investigation of the psychometric properties demonstrated the FOI-D to be reliable and valid. In Study Three, the FOI-D Scale demonstrated excellent temporal consistency. This research provides future investigators, educators, and practitioners with an adaptable comprehensive tool assessing fear of incompetence in a variety of settings.

scholarly journals ‘I never realised everybody felt as happy as I do when I am around autistic people’: A thematic analysis of autistic adults’ relationships with autistic and neurotypical friends and family

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1438-1448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine J Crompton ◽  
Sonny Hallett ◽  
Danielle Ropar ◽  
Emma Flynn ◽  
Sue Fletcher-Watson
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Minority Status ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Time ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Social Opportunities ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
Close Family

Many autistic people are motivated to have friends, relationships and close family bonds, despite the clinical characterisation of autism as a condition negatively affecting social interaction. Many first-hand accounts of autistic people describe feelings of comfort and ease specifically with other autistic people. This qualitative research explored and contrasted autistic experiences of spending social time with neurotypical and autistic friends and family. In total, 12 autistic adults (10 females, aged 21–51) completed semi-structured interviews focused on time spent with friends and family; positive and negative aspects of time spent with neurotypical and autistic friends and family; and feelings during and after spending time together. Three themes were identified: cross-neurotype understanding, minority status and belonging. Investigation of these themes reveals the benefits of autistic people creating and maintaining social relationships with other autistic people, in a more systematic way than previous individual reports. They highlight the need for autistic-led social opportunities and indicate benefits of informal peer support for autistic adults. Lay abstract Although autistic people may struggle to interact with others, many autistic people have said they find interacting with other autistic people more comfortable. To find out whether this was a common experience, we did hour-long interviews with 12 autistic adults. We asked them questions about how it feels when spending time with their friends and family, and whether it felt different depending on whether the friends and family were autistic or neurotypical. We analysed the interviews and found three common themes in what our participants said. First, they found spending with other autistic people easier and more comfortable than spending time with neurotypical people, and felt they were better understood by other autistic people. Second, autistic people often felt they were in a social minority, and in order to spend time with neurotypical friends and family, they had to conform with what the neurotypical people wanted and were used to. Third, autistic people felt like they belonged with other autistic people and that they could be themselves around them. These findings show that having time with autistic friends and family can be very beneficial for autistic people and played an important role in a happy social life.

scholarly journals Perceived causes of relapse among a sample of recovering psychiatric patients at a Mafikeng hospital

Curationis ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Mwaba ◽  
R.B. Molamu
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Relapse Prevention ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
Research Data ◽  
North West ◽  
Close Family Member ◽  
Close Family

The aim of the present study was to identify factors that are perceived by recovering psychiatric patients as contributing to their relapse. The participants were a convenient sample of out-patients at a psychiatric hospital in Mafikeng, north west South Africa. The sample consisted of 15 males and 15 females, aged 18 to GO years (mean age = 38.7 years). The research data was collected using a questionnaire and non-structured interview. The results showed that 43 percent of the patients attributed their relapse to inability to adhere to prescribed medical intervention. Patients also attributed relapse to lack of social support (20 percent), grief following the loss of a close family member (20 percent), and lack of employment (17 percent). It is recommended that a more integrated approach aimed at providing effective social support be considered in relapse prevention.

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