The Stigma of Involuntary Childlessness*

In this paper, I analyze the stigma associated with involuntary childlessness and compare the perceptions and behavior of physically infertile women and physically fertile women who are involuntarily childless. I also consider information management strategies developed to offset this stigma. These strategies include selective concealment, therapeutic and preventive disclosure, medical disclaimers, deviance avowal, and a process of practiced …