Paper
Forced Conception & its Impact on Maternal Health : A Study of the Women’s Bodies and Agency in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh
presenters
Ayush Kushwaha
Nationality: INDIA
Residence: INDIA
CSSS, JNU
Presence:Face to Face/ On Site
Keywords:
Reproductive coercion, forced conception, childbearing, parity progression, differential stopping behaviour, son preference, maternal health.
Abstract:
In sociological and feminist theories, we often talk about ‘agency’ and its access to women. It has been noted time and again that women are forced to conceive even if they do not want to or despite having child/ children. A woman doesn't have agency even in such delicate and sensitive cases where her body and health are directly affected in relation to conception especially in rural areas. The desire to have at least one male child in the family makes it compulsory for women to function as a reproduction machine without giving much thought to the concomitant impact on the health conditions of such women. Women with no son or small number of sons are more likely to continue childbearing as compared to others, “parity progression driven by the desire for sons accounted for 7% of births. At any given parity, the last-born child of women who had stopped childbearing was more likely to be a son than a daughter (sex ratios, 133- 157)” (Chaudhuri, 2012: pp. 178). The concept of “Forced Conception” newly devised for this study focuses on the pressure created on a woman to conceive till the time she gives birth to at least one male child without her choice. The paper also delves into the resultant impact of the forced conception on the health conditions of women. The location for this study is Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh) where more than 65% people are below poverty line. A convergent mixed-methods study was conducted here. Preliminary investigation was followed by the main study where a quantitative segment was applied with 150 women aged between 15 to 49 years (reproductive age of women) visiting three primary health care centers in Jhabua. This segment was followed by the detailed qualitative interaction with 15 women who depicted the trend of forced conception.