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A Little Bit Pregnant? Productive Ambiguity and Fertility Research

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  • Suzanne O. Bell
  • Mary E. Fissell

Abstract

Fertility researchers rely upon a simple binary: pregnant versus not pregnant. However, this conceptualization does not capture many women's experiences, both historically and in numerous settings today. We suggest that pregnancy status may be a much more ambiguous state, and that such ambiguity is often productive for women. Building a culturally sensitive understanding of what we are calling “productive ambiguity” can foster more rigorous studies of fertility that better capture potential pregnancy and the range of post‐coital fertility‐inhibiting actions women take, both intentionally and not. In this paper, we aim to: 1) describe the ambiguity that exists around pregnancy; 2) explain the ways in which this ambiguity is productive for women; 3) analyze two concrete examples of such ambiguity in practice: the case of menstrual regulation and the unexpected conceptual overlaps between contraception and early abortion in a variety of settings, and finally; 4) suggest ways that this more nuanced understanding might inform fertility research, including abortion measurement research. We combine recent qualitative and quantitative data with historical sources to analyze the cultural logics and power dynamics of this ambiguity.

Suggested Citation

  • Suzanne O. Bell & Mary E. Fissell, 2021. "A Little Bit Pregnant? Productive Ambiguity and Fertility Research," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(2), pages 505-526, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:popdev:v:47:y:2021:i:2:p:505-526
    DOI: 10.1111/padr.12403
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    1. Haws, Rachel A. & Mashasi, Irene & Mrisho, Mwifadhi & Schellenberg, Joanna Armstrong & Darmstadt, Gary L. & Winch, Peter J., 2010. ""These are not good things for other people to know": How rural Tanzanian women's experiences of pregnancy loss and early neonatal death may impact survey data quality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(10), pages 1764-1772, November.
    2. Rossier, Clémentine & Guiella, George & Ouédraogo, Abdoulaye & Thiéba, Blandine, 2006. "Estimating clandestine abortion with the confidants method--results from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 254-266, January.
    3. Yeatman, S. & Trinitapoli, J., 2011. "Best-friend reports: A tool for measuring the prevalence of sensitive behaviors," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 101(9), pages 1666-1667.
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    1. VandeVusse, Alicia J. & Mueller, Jennifer & Kirstein, Marielle & Strong, Joe & Lindberg, Laura D., 2023. "“Technically an abortion”: Understanding perceptions and definitions of abortion in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).

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