Title

Irrational Non-Reproduction? The 'Dying Nation' And The Postsocialist Logics Of Declining Motherhood In Poland

Keywords

Catholic Church; Fertility decline; Gender inequity; Middle classness; Poland; Postsocialist neoliberalisation; Reproductive decision-making

Abstract

Polish birthrates during the state socialist period, 1948-1989, stayed above replacement level but since 1989 fell dramatically to one of the lowest in Europe, at 1.29 in 2010. The Polish Catholic Church and the newly-elected nationalist government of Lech Wale-sa reacted by escalating pronatalist rhetoric calling on women to increase childbearing in the name of economic and nationalist causes. Reflecting the renewed dominance of the Church, Wale-sa implemented restrictions on family planning, including abortion, contraception, and sex education, justifying them in moral and demographic terms. Plummeting fertility has been portrayed by the Church, media, and state as dangerous and unreasonable - a sign of Polish women's rejection of motherhood and the embrace of selfish priorities. Simultaneously however, the state cut back motherhood-friendly policies established by the socialist regime, including subsidized childcare, maternity leave, and healthcare. This paper draws on 19 months of fieldwork between 2000 and 2007, using interviews with 55 women in four healthcare clinics in Gdań sk area, and participant-observation at the social services offices in Krakow. This paper shows that far from irrational rejection of motherhood, Polish middle-class women are guided by pragmatic reasons when delaying parenthood in order to navigate the new political landscape marked by job insecurity and gendered discrimination in employment. Yet, rather than implementing work-family reconciliation policies that have stimulated fertility elsewhere in Europe, the Church and state insist on blaming women for 'irrational' non-reproduction, thus betraying a lack of political commitment to gender equity in employment, reproductive health, and in the family. © 2012 Taylor & Francis.

Publication Date

8-1-2012

Publication Title

Anthropology and Medicine

Volume

19

Issue

2

Number of Pages

153-169

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1080/13648470.2012.675048

Socpus ID

84865226292 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84865226292

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