A Series of Cultural Perspectives on Reproductive Health: The Indian-American Perspective
By Angela Huang
This is a series on how college-aged students perceive and interpret ideas surrounding reproductive health. This series is not meant to be a completely scientifically sound approach to cultural differences, but rather a source of insight to the many different perspectives on the college campus. Each participant was asked a series of questions and their responses were analyzed linguistically. Factors like time to respond, filler words, and elements of word choice and syntax were analyzed. Only certain questions with answers of note were transcribed. Answers were transcribed word for word. Analysis is in italics.
Indian-American Male
Across this interview, my interviewee appeared comfortable, yet somewhat on guard. He was very thoughtful and chose his words carefully. I’ve chosen the answer to three of his questions because of how they speak to his comfort level and they hint at how young adults shift their behaviorisms along new social norms, especially at a college level.
Short Answer Section
4. Define reproductive health.
Um, I think it's, like, health concerning, um, yeah I guess like, um, studying the health of like, things that are involved with and adjacent to reproduction. So, like, yeah.
As compared to his other responses, the student struggled much more with defining reproductive health. Of note is how long the response took -- 54 seconds -- as well as the number of filler words -- approximately 30% of the response. Despite taking a longer time to answer this question, the term “things” and reuse of “reproductive” and “health” from the term reproductive health do not add substance to the definition. This hesitation and broad word choice may reflect two things: 1) a lack of exposure to the scope of what the field of reproductive health studies or an unfamiliarity with the term altogether or 2) a discomfort with discussing the idea of reproductive health as a whole and naming relevant topics of discussion outside of the broad idea of reproduction.
5. Name 3 adjectives that come to mind when thinking of the phrase reproductive health?
Important. Uh, unnoticed? And, taboo.
By listing important and juxtaposing it with unnoticed and taboo, the student appears to be a proponent of de-stigmatizing reproductive health. The term unnoticed also hints at the student’s the lack of engagement with reproductive health.
Long Answer Section
1. Do you discuss your reproductive health with those around you? How do you feel when you discuss your reproductive health?
Uh, I discuss it with my partner. So, yeah, I don’t think I-I-I broach the topic in an informal way around my friends without any particular target in mind. My instinctual response is to feel a bit sheepish when discussing reproductive health so around my friends I compensate by being completely un-sheepish, deliberately. But, yeah, it's like it's more natural a conversational topic than I would’ve thought it was.
The student’s feelings of an instinctual sheepishness that must be compensated around friends provides an interesting dynamic: it hints towards the gradual clash between the “inappropriate” and “taboo” nature of reproduction and sex and the social currency given to those who are sexually active. The opposition of his personal discomfort and how he chooses to portray himself in a social setting is reflective of how despite the aforementioned “taboo” nature of reproductive health, it’s socially better to speak “un-sheepish[ly]” about sex. However, his previous statement of how he approaches the discussion with his friends -- “without any particular target in mind” -- indicates the reduced role of the referential function in his conversation with friends: this distinction between the more intimate conversations about the matter with his partner that are implied to be of more substance, and his socially based conversation with his friends that are less focused indicates that there is a line of acceptability in topics of reproductive health in a social setting among college-aged students.
4. Have your parents discussed sex/ reproductive health with you? What did they say?
Barely. My parents never clarified the concept of sex, specifically, so I never got the talk. But they did ask if I was sexually active while I was dating my partner, and they didn’t seem to have any strong emotional response to the answer being yes or no. But I think for the most part they think that I would figure it out for myself.
There is a common conception that Asian parents refuse to broach topics orienting around sex and other reproductive issues: the choice to not give “the talk” and to avoid thorough conversation in this interviewee’s case appears to solidify that stereotype. The last sentence is especially interesting as it implies that this student has been given autonomy and trust in making his own health care decisions; this may be indicative of how male choice is less controlled.
Indian-American Female
Across this interview, my interviewee spoke freely and openly about her feelings: she did not seem hesitant to share her opinions and was enthusiastic about elaborating on her beliefs.
Short Answer Section
4. Define reproductive health.
Um, Okay so. It’s just like a mental and physical wellbeing that’s associated with your reproductive system but also um, yeah, I don’t know how to be specific. /Pause/ But like, for me, for me, I would like to specify that it’s not only like your physical wellbeing but also like how your how, your mental health is affected by that as well.
As compared to the male interviewee, the female interviewee took both less time -- 35 seconds -- and less filler words -- 15% of the response. In her response, she addressed how reproductive health embodies both physical and mental elements. However, it is interesting how while specifying the mental health element of reproductive health, she asserts that it's “for me”: this potentially speaks to the perception that while reproductive health as a whole can affect everybody, it affects females more intimately in a psychological way. In general, the greater level of specificity in her response, even despite the *parental comparison*, demonstrates how the burden of reproductive health concerns often falls on the female’s body.
5. Name 3 adjectives that come to mind when thinking of the phrase reproductive health?
Adjectives? I don’t know how to … painful. Periods are painful. Umm, huh. Maybe like, like sexual? And … pleasure, I guess?
Interestingly, these adjectives indicate a more personal perspective on reproductive health. The phrase “painful” speaks to this intimacy with the subject matter: unlike the male’s adjective that simply referred to the state of reproductive health (“important”, “unnoticed”, “taboo”), “painful” (and “pleasure”, as well) indicates that there is experience underlying the phrase. This shift in perspective once again speaks to the different ways females and males see the subject matter. Furthermore, there is a broader range of topics that these adjectives encapsulate: it captures both elements of reproductive health processes, like periods, and sexual health.
1.Do you discuss your reproductive health with those around you? How do you feel when you discuss your reproductive health?
Um, when it comes to, like periods and stuff, I’m more open with my mother than we used to be, especially since my sister started her period so we’re like a lot more open now. Um, and, but I guess I’m a lot more comfortable talking about it with my friends than I am with my mother. Um, I do feel a lot more, I feel happier that I’m able to talk to people about this. I know it's a lot worse for people who can’t be open and who are, who aren’t in that environment where they can discuss this kind of stuff. So, I am happy that I can discuss this with a lot more people.
The interviewee’s response is distinctly characterized by relief. It appears that more conversation about reproductive health over time with both her mother and her friends provide her an outlet of thoughts. Again, the contrast between the male and female interviewee is stark: while the male’s response indicates forced enthusiasm into the topic, the female’s response indicates the new openness offered by college and young adulthood is enriching.
4. Have your parents discussed sex/ reproductive health with you? What did they say?
No. Not at all. Not once. Not ever. I’ve never heard that word in my house before.
As mentioned before, both interviewee’s appear to fit under the typical immigrant parent tendency to avoid conversation about sex. This perhaps indicates a greater need for more activism and awareness for the children of immigrants.
Conclusion
In closure, the male and female interviewee’s had some fascinating differences and similarities in their responses. In both interviews, the interviewees’ responses indicated that they were at a critical point of change. For the male, this evolution was primarily seen within his friend group, indicating a shift in culture that made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. However, his language also hinted that he may be at a personal change as well in how he faces the topic of reproductive health: while he shows some uncertainty and discomfort with the subject matter, he also holds it as something that is important to discuss. For the female, the change is seen both within her friend group and within her family, the latter perhaps reflecting larger changes that come over time within immigrant families. As a whole, these changes in dialogue are something she holds as positive. These observations only continue to reaffirm the necessity for more reproductive health education and conversation as college age students hit complex and difficult times of change.