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  • Essay / The Effects of Infertility on Marriage and Family

    Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive children or young people according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Over time, infertility has become a topic of discussion that the world has adopted and the challenges surrounding it are constantly being researched for ways to solve them. In the past, around the world, the debate around infertility was considered shameful and unappealing. Whether one was a man or a woman, the inability to have children was kept behind closed doors and even considered taboo in many African communities. One of them was called cursed and unsuitable for a partner for courtship or marriage. But times have changed and changed enormously. In a recent interview with world-famous Doctor Oz, Gabrielle Union opens up about the world after years of struggling with infertility: “When it doesn't work, it can be absolutely devastating. And as women, so many of us hide in the wild, suffering in silence, no one wants the world, as it does, to think you are "defective", or less than a woman perfect or less than capable. And there is so much shame, mystery, and guilt surrounding fertility issues. The interviewer asks her why talk about it now, why not after ten years when all this is done and she replies: "Because there is no reason to feel alone, there is no reason to suffer in silence, there is no reason to suffer in silence. reason to feel like Seal Team Six going to a doctor's appointment because you're afraid of what someone will say about a medical problem. Which pushes people further and further into the shadows and you literally suffer in silence. And I say no more: Enough! An example like this and others that have talked about the cause of infertility are what guides this article. In developing countries in the Africa region, the effects of infertility are instability within a marriage which leads to either polygamy or divorce, economic hardship as many depend on children for economic survival and social rejection and stigmatization of the infertile individual and their family members. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The World Health Organization defines infertility into three main categories: clinical, demographic, and epidemiological, where each is defined as a disease of the reproductive system defined by the inability to achieve clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse (WHO-ICMART glossary), the inability of people of childbearing age (15-49 years) to become or remain pregnant within five years of exposure to pregnancy, and women of childbearing age (15-49 years) at risk of pregnancy (not pregnant, sexually active, not using contraception and not not breastfeeding) who report having attempted pregnancy without success for two years or more respectively. A WHO global report estimates that about 34 million women suffer from infertility primarily resulting from maternal sepsis and safe abortion at birth, especially in predominantly developing countries. In Africa, the highest prevalence and rates of infertility in the world are found in non-Western societies, particularly those in the “infertility belt” of central and southern Africa. In countries with little or no resources, the problem affects up to 30% of couples, causing enormous suffering. The main area of ​​focus of this article would bethe known and broad understanding of infertility in two dimensions: primary infertility and secondary infertility. Women whose pregnancy miscarries spontaneously, or whose pregnancy results in a stillborn child, without ever having had a live birth, would be considered primary fertility, while a woman is classified as suffering from infertility secondary when she is unable to carry a child, either due to inability to become pregnant or inability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth following either a previous pregnancy or a previous ability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth. In the African context, infertility most often presents itself in a marriage situation. In this case, procreation is truly valued; this is the essence of marriage within the African community (Mburugu & Adams, 2004). Thus, the inability to have children causes instability and trauma within couples. In most cases, if a woman is unable to conceive, she is considered to be the cause of the problem. Thus, a man has the right to marry a second wife to give him children, free access to polygamy. Since having children is a desired and valued social role, the community allows him to sleep with another woman while the other woman is humiliated and condemned. Such injustice towards the woman is tolerated even by the levels of violence within the society and only the forward-thinking people among her can save her from such cruelty. In Kenya, a woman's hands were butchered by her husband due to her inability to bear children, a case of primary infertility. While Ngila, her husband, allegedly attacked her because they were unable to have children, a Nairobi hospital said Mwende was fertile and it was her husband who had reproductive problems. In cases like this, society intervened and obtained grounds for divorce. Unfortunately, in most societies, women suffer in silence and are abused by their husbands. This is not to say that men do not experience abuse from women when infertility problems originate from them. But studies in African countries like Kenya reveal that women suffer more of the consequences of infertility than men. Among the Luhya of Kenya, infertility has always been considered the woman's fault. According to the Kamba community, the notion of “vinya”, that is to say “strength”, is linked to reproduction or procreation and marriage. While observing the theory of structural functionalism which sees the family as a social institution that performs certain essential functions for society and if these functions are not fulfilled, the family is said to be dysfunctional. We can apply it to address the injustices that arise from the instability caused by infertility. In the case of Mwende, where a crime was committed, the theory states that communities must work together to establish and carry out consequences, thereby creating a stronger bond of solidarity between members of society. In a 2016 CNN report, the attack was condemned by politicians, activists and citizens across Kenya. The Bangladeshi embassy in Kenya has promised to provide medicine to Mwende for at least three months, while Lay claims she and other activists have offered to provide medicine to Mwende. she has prosthetic limbs, a $250-a-month stipend, transportation to therapy and business skills to help prepare her for life after recovery. This clearly demonstrates a practice of structural functionalism theory. Another effect of infertility iseconomic difficulty. According to a 2011 WHO report, a 2008 study found a primary infertility rate of 2.7% among women in an urban area of ​​Tanzania. A nuclear family is generally considered to be a husband, wife and children. In most African communities, having children is a way to achieve economic stability within the family. It is believed that once firstborns gain basic skills or education, they can then go ahead and obtain basic jobs, educate their younger siblings, and in the long run, care for of their parents. When a couple faces infertility problems, this economic foundation is disrupted. Another factor is the economic burden associated with infertility treatment. Modern treatments such as in vitro fertilization, hormone injections and artificial insemination are time-consuming, expensive and not available in developing countries. In the third world, how to deal with this vast problem has not been thoroughly researched and the need to provide affordable treatment to an ordinary citizen is long overdue. Even if traditional healers were considered, they cost more than faith healers. In Nigeria, women spend between 55 and 100 percent of their income trying to treat their infertility. In Nigeria and Rwanda, one of the biggest concerns of an infertile woman is the financial gap between her and her extended family. Therefore, in the interest of the growth and economic status of a nation, a resolution of the economic difficulties associated with infertility. To help analyze this, an application of systems theory is essential, according to which a social system is a process between actors. Talcott Parsons states that “it is the structure of the relationships between the actors involved in the interactive process that essentially constitutes the structure of the social system. The system is the network of such relationships. Since infertility has a ripple effect within the family and then the nation, systems theory shows that things do not make sense on their own. A medium- and macro-level approach aimed at linking access to resources, often facilitated by centralized figures, and focusing between communities and formal community organizations can play an important role in modifying the negative effects caused by infertility on the economy of a household and a nation. and social rejection is a major effect of infertility not only for the infertile individual but for all parties involved. Women in particular also suffer serious negative social consequences such as stigmatization, ostracism, abuse and economic deprivation. In Nigeria, a woman who has not had children cannot be recognized as an elder because she was unable to have a son; therefore, she has no right to her husband's property nor can she return to her parents' property as she would be mistreated. A barren woman often finds herself without housing and without money. Stigma can take many forms. We may feel ashamed of being associated with ourselves or our partner. Families can be affected, as one party may carry the burden more than the other. In many developing countries, infertility is socially stigmatized. For example, women cannot join communal social groups, since access to this privilege follows pregnancy. However, it is not only women who are affected by infertility; infertile men also experience negative consequences. Loss of social status, social isolation and..