Abstract
Infertility is a global issue. It is defined by the World Health Organization as the inability for sexually active couple who are not on contraceptives to achieve pregnancy over a period of a year. Infertility affects both men and women and has been found to result in feelings of anger, shock, denial, frustration, loss of control, isolation, guilt, lowered self-worth, and poor life quality. Although infertility affects men and women, it has throughout history been viewed as a woman’s problem. The media is frequently identified as being the central platform in the production and reproduction of rules of masculinity. The media shape the social representations in public spaces. Newspapers provide insight into community discussions and debates. Male infertility forms part of these discussions and debates. Traditionally for men, the ability to have children is associated with masculinity more than the role of being a father. This study used thematic analysis that was informed by procedures from grounded theory to explore the representations of male infertility in South African news reports. In the 43 news reports that were analysed, three global themes were identified. The first global theme was Risks and it was divided into two subthemes, environment and lifestyle. The second global theme was Stigma. The third global theme was Remedies and it was divided into two subthemes, supplements and biotechnology. The themes identified are important in adding to the literature on the psychosocial aspects of male infertility.
M.A. (Psychology)