"Astronauts in the Sperm World" : The Renegotiation of Masculine Identities in Discourses on Male Contraceptives

Oudshoorn, Nelly (2004) "Astronauts in the Sperm World" : The Renegotiation of Masculine Identities in Discourses on Male Contraceptives. Men and masculinities, 6 (4). pp. 349-367. ISSN 1097-184X

PDF
Restricted to UT campus only: Request a copy
127Kb

Abstract:	Since the 1960s, the predominance of modern contraceptive drugs for women has disciplined men and women to delegate responsibilities for contraception largely to women. Consequently, contraceptive use came to be excluded from hegemonic masculinity. The weak alignment of contraceptive technologies and hegemonic masculinities constitutes a major barrier for technological innovation in contraceptives for men. Based on an analysis of two large-scale clinical trials of hormonal contraceptives for men organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the article shows how the development of new contraceptives for men requires a renegotiation of masculine identities. Technological innovation in contraceptive technology is, thus, not only a story about the making of a new technology, it is also a story about constructing masculine identities.
Item Type:	Article
Copyright:	© 2004 Sage
Faculty:	Management and Governance (SMG)
Research Group:	Science, Technology and Policy Studies (STePS)
Link to this item:	http://purl.utwente.nl/publications/60146
Official URL:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1097184X03260959
Export this item as:	BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager

Show download statistics for this publication

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Metis ID: 218740