'The body is difficult': reproductive navigation through sociality and corporeality in rural Burundi

We describe representations of bodily (pre)dispositions for fertility and reproduction, such as the 'natural' capacity for birth spacing or the bodily capacity to use 'natural' (having a regular cycle) and 'modern' methods (not having negative side effects) that contribute collectively to an understanding of 'the body is difficult'. We found that despite these bodily constraints, women enact embodied agency to ensure livelihoods and social status, thus framing their reproductive intentions and practices. In the context of Burundi where corporeality is key to gendered social belonging, family planning programmes fail to respond to the needs and concerns of women and their embodied reproductive experiences.PMID:35068349 | DOI:10.1080/13691058.2021.2020904
Source: Culture, Health and Sexuality - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: research