Misconception: Social Class and Infertility in America

181 Pages·2014·2.63 MB·English

by  Ann V. Bell

Misconception
Families in Focus
Series Editors
Anita Ilta Garey, University of Connecticut
Naomi R. Gerstel, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Karen V. Hansen, Brandeis University
Rosanna Hertz, Wellesley College
Margaret K. Nelson, Middlebury College
Katie L. Acosta, Amigas y Amantes: Sexually Nonconforming Latinas
Negotiate Family
Anita Ilta Garey and Karen V. Hansen, eds., At the Heart of Work and
Family: Engaging the Ideas of Arlie Hochschild
Katrina Kimport, Queering Marriage: Challenging Family Formation in the
United States
Mary Ann Mason, Nicholas H. Wolfinger, and Marc Goulden, Do Babies
Matter? Gender and Family in the Ivory Tower
Jamie L. Mullaney and Janet Hinson Shope, Paid to Party: Working Time
and Emotion in Direct Home Sales
Markella B. Rutherford, Adult Supervision Required: Private Freedom and
Public Constraints for Parents and Children
Barbara Wells, Daughters and Granddaughters of Farmworkers: Emerging
from the Long Shadow of Farm Labor
Misconception
Social Class and Infertility in America
Ann V. Bell
Rutgers University Press
New Brunswick, New Jersey, and London
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Bell, Ann V., 1980–
Misconception : social class and infertility in America / Ann V. Bell.
pages cm. —  (Families in focus)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978– 0– 8135– 6480– 7 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978– 0– 8135– 6479– 1
(pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978– 0–8 135– 6481– 4 (e- book)
1. Infertility, Female— United States. 2. Fertility, Human— United States. 3. Poor
women— United States. 4. Social classes— United States. I. Title.
RG201.B37 2014
618.1’7806— dc23 2013046600
A British Cataloging- in- Publication record for this book is available from the
British Library.
Copyright © 2014 by Ann V. Bell
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
written permission from the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press, 106
Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. The only exception to this prohibition is
“fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law.
Visit our website: http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu
Manufactured in the United States of America
For Tony

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Conceiving Infertility 1
1 “That’s What I’m Supposed to Be”:
Why Women Want to Mother 13
2 “I’m Good at the Job”:
How Women Achieve “Good” Motherhood 23
3 “Getting Pregnant’s a Piece of Cake”:
Trying to Mother 40
4 “Socioeconomically It Would Be Much More
Difficult”:The Lived Experience of Infertility 53
5 “Whatever Gets Me to the End Point”:
Resolving Infertility 83
6 “So What Can You Do?”:
Coping with Infertility 112
Conclusion: (Re)conceiving Infertility 133
Appendix: Methodology 141
Notes 149
References 151
Index 161
vii

Acknowledgments
Although there is only one name on the cover of this book, it was entirely
a team effort, impossible without the support of numerous players. Thanks
to each of you from the bottom of my heart.
Rutgers University Press, particularly Peter Mickulas, has been amazing.
You made a difficult process easy and enjoyable. I owe a very special thank
you to the editors of the Family in Focus series. Rosanna Hertz got the ball
rolling, and Peggy Nelson provided invaluable thoughtful feedback that
improved the manuscript immensely.
Without the encouragement, mentoring and support from my graduate
advisors, Renee Anspach and Karin Martin, this book would still be just an
idea. Renee took the time to help me improve my writing through line- by-
line edits and frank, but necessary, constructive criticism. Her knowledge
of the field and the breadth and depth of her network and references are
impressive and contributed much to the manuscript. I owe a very special
thank you to Karin. I call her my “guardian angel”: as my undergraduate
advisor she developed my interest in sociology, and as my graduate mentor
she guided my research. I would not be where I am professionally without
her guidance and assistance. I only hope to be half the scholars, mentors,
and teachers that Karin and Renee were and are to me.
I would not be where I am today without the incredible love and sup-
port from my family. Thank you, Dad, for teaching me how to think crit-
ically and reminding me that even Mickey Mantle strikes out sometimes.
Thank you, Mom, for always being there to listen and always knowing
what to say.
I could not have written this book without the bravery and willingness
of the participants to come forward and share their stories. Thank you to
ix