The Importance Of Parenthood

A traditional family comprises of a husband, wife, and their children which continues to be a usual family structure in our society. It is the social structure in which parenthood is considered a normal developmental task, but childless or infertile people are viewed as deviants in the society (Gonzalez, 2000). Infertility is “a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse”(WHO, 2014)

According to Cousineau and Domar (2006), the inability to conceive child by an individual is often considered as a stressful and heart-rending situation. Parenthood gives a meaning to life while lives of childless people are lonelier and less rewarding.

Particularly, in Pakistan it is a common belief that a woman attains the status of sexual and social maturity only after giving birth to a baby. Therefore, malfunction to bear children creates a feeling of failure to perform the expected role in society leading to many negative social, cultural, and mental health consequences (Sultan & Tahir, 2011). A woman who cannot give her spouse a child of their own considers it as a curse, and as a result loses her self-identity. With loss of identity, she views herself as worthless and feels loss of control over self. Many women complain of suicidal ideations due to perceived self-blame and powerlessness (Ali et.al, 2011).

For men, infertility brings a dreadful experience of “failure as a man” and it is perceived as an assault on one’s masculinity. The challenge on the masculinity of men can cause feelings of loss of power and impotency (Hart, 2002). Due to the inability to prove himself as a complete human-being, he considers his identity as a spoiled

It is defined as a reproductive disease characterized by the inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to full term. As a result of infertility, many psychological consequences occur which affects the well-being of a person. Depression is the most common sequel that is produced when an individual realizes that she/he is deprived of having an offspring. Furthermore, social isolation eventuate as a consequence of not meeting the expectations of the society, and because infertility is considered as a stigma in the community. In addition, infecund individual perceives infertility as a question to their identity. Hence, feels loss of control over-self. Moreover, relations of the infertile get in trouble due to the preoccupied frustration and negative emotions within self. I believe these people should be assisted to brighten up their lives again and function normally in the society. On individual level, they can be counseled to accept the diagnosis of infertility. Further, some therapies like interpersonal and cognitive behavior can help them to resolve their relationship discords. On community level, affiliation with the support group can aid them to ventilate their feelings and avoid isolation. In my opinion, if these strategies and recommendations are taken into consideration, then the outcome of this dreadful diagnosis would not influence the psychology of a human