Economic and racial differences in women's infertility experiences

Abstract

Infertility has been identified as a highly significant social issue and a public health priority. However, those experiencing infertility are typically thought of and portrayed by the media as middle-class White women and couples seeking medical treatment. In fact, the majority of social science literature regarding infertility has focused on this same population while demographic differences in infertility experiences, particularly by economic status and race, have not been the subject of comprehensive study. Guided by the concepts of stratified reproduction, intersectionality, and an infertility helpseeking framework, this dissertation examined the relationships between economic status, race/ethnicity, and four types of infertility experiences using nationally representative crosssectional data from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers. The sample is drawn from women who meet the medical definition of infertility of having regular, unprotected sex for twelve months or more without conceiving (N = 2,443). The literature suggests that infertility may be experienced differently by marginalized groups as they are embedded in classist and racist contexts and that being non-White, with access to fewer economic resources, may have multiplicative effects on women’s infertility experiences, both medical and non-medical. Results indicate that the demographic picture of infertility includes women of all economic statuses and race/ethnicities at similar levels. Furthermore, there are significant relationships between economic status, race/ethnicity, and women’s infertility experiences. Joint effects explain fewer differences in experiences than an index of economic status indicators (income/poverty status, insurance status, receipt of public assistance, and economic hardship). Controlling for various life course, fertility history, and certain predisposing and enabling