'They did not have a word': the parental quest to locate a 'true sex' for their intersex children

Gough, B, 2008. 'They did not have a word': the parental quest to locate a 'true sex' for their intersex children. Psychology and Health, 23 (4), pp. 493-507.

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Abstract

Given the paucity of research in this area, the primary aim of this study was to explore how parents of infants with unclear sex at birth made sense of 'intersex'. Qualitative methods were used (semi-structured interviews, interpretative phenomenological analysis) with 10 parents to generate pertinent themes and provide ideas for further research. Our analysis highlights the fundamental shock engendered by the uncertain sex status of children, and documents parental struggles to negotiate a coherent sex identity for their children. Findings are discussed in light of the rigid two-sex system which pervades medicine and everyday life, and we argue that greater understanding of the complexity of sex and gender is required in order to facilitate better service provision and, ultimately, greater informed consent and parental participation regarding decisions about their children's status.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Psychology and Health
Creators:	Gough, B.
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Date:	2008
Volume:	23
Number:	4
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/14768320601176170 DOI
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 11:15
Last Modified:	23 Aug 2016 09:14
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/25088

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