Social construction and Management of Male Infertility among the Akamba People: a Case of Muvuti/kiima Kimwe, Machakos County, Kenya
Abstract
The World Health organization, estimates that 60-89 million couples are infertile. Africa
has the highest number of infertility rates of between 20%-35%, male factor infertility
accounts for 40% of the 60% of all infertility cases. Male infertility rates in Kenya have
reached epidemic level yet the gendered nature of infertility obscures male infertility. This
is because infertility is socially and culturally perceived as a woman’s problem. Hence,
the main objective of the study was to establish how male infertility is defined, understood
and managed among the Akamba people. The study adopted a cross-sectional research
design and a mixed method strategy in data collection. Quantitative data were collected
from a randomly selected sample of 210 respondents while qualitative data were assembled
from a purposively selected sample of 28 Key Informants. Additional augmentative data
were obtained from 4 Focus Group Discussions. Quantitative data were analyzed using
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) while qualitative data were analyzed using
thematic analysis using the QR-NUDIST.
The study found that male infertility is conflated with virility, and that infertile men are
deemed weak and less masculine. Infertile men are stigmatized and ridiculed, and infertility
is construed as a personal failure and a social failure. Male infertility is also alluded to
witchcraft, the will of God, drug abuse, and incompatible blood. Traditional herbs and tying
medicinal charms around the waist are the most common methods used to cure male
infertility. In addition, a brother or a cousin to the infertile man is expected to sire children
for the infertile man with the infertile man’s wife as a way of propagating the family of the
infertile man. Male infertility is therefore not experienced as a bio medical problem but it
is stigmatized and understood as a failure on the part of the man. The study recommends
that the Ministry of Health should come up with strategies that incorporate men in
reproductive health, and engage in campaigns that aid in debunking the myths associated
with male infertility. The study recommends further research on the experiences and coping
strategies of infertile men.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
- Faculty of Arts [754]
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