Groundbreaking thesis on involuntary childlessness in men

Involuntary childlessness in men is a taboo subject. Men and women experience similar emotions, but it is harder for men to talk about this, says Petur Háberg.

He recently handed in his thesis, titled “You lose the story about yourself – a glimpse inside the lives of involuntary childless men in the Faroe Islands” as part of his social sciences studies at the University of the Faroe Islands.

Háberg’s thesis statement was: “Which effect does involuntary childlessness have on the masculinity of Faroese men and their place in the Faroese society?”

Best thesis of the year

The Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science was so impressed with this thesis that it selected it as the winner of its annual ”Best thesis” award for 2022 for its innovative approach to a taboo subject.

The ministry’s website lists the following questions brought up in the thesis:

“What is it like to be an involuntary childless man in a country that revolves around children and the social life accompanied with it? Where do you fit in? And how does it affect your masculinity, your manhood? Can you consider yourself a real man without your own offspring?”

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Himself a father, Háberg writes that not being able to have children of one’s own can result in severe grief and may even lead to a life crisis.

This is a particularly pressing issue in such a strongly family-oriented country like the Faroes.

”Voluntary childlessness is an increasing trend elsewhere, but it is highly uncommon here in the Faroes, so having children is clearly a prerequisite for a healthy social life,” he says.

Read a summary of the thesis in English here.

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

More Faroese News in English.