Your definitive guide to this emerging concept.
What is Reproductive Identity?
Age, race, gender, and sexual orientation are just a few common ways people define themselves. If you think about it, reproduction is another fundamental aspect of life that is also available for personal exploration and social activism.
Put simply, every single person has a reproductive identity! Like with any other major identity, you are powerfully shaped by yours and it shapes how you see others.
The term reproductive identity is intentionally broad, inclusive, and exists on a spectrum. It incorporates the basic categories of parenthood and nonparenthood, as well as how people self-identify as a result of their reproductive experiences more generally.
Why now?
With advancements and setbacks in medicine and social norms, we live in a major “age of change” when it comes to deciding whether or not to become a parent due to assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and egg freezing, along with changing access to surrogacy, adoption, birth control, and abortion. This is a time of confusion for the reproductive pathways of people and the reproductive futures of youth especially.
People of all genders and sexualities now more than ever build their families creatively, whether with partners or independently. Individuals are also increasingly delaying or opting out of parenting - whether voluntarily or due to infertility. Falling birth rates are a global trend among all age groups, from teens to older adults.
Many communities around the world are still in crisis and experience reproductive health inequities in pressing need of reform. For example, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people in the United States point to the negative effects of systemic oppression on their reproductive well-being.
We believe Reproductive Identity offers us a way forward, to view these issues in an innovative way and to create new solutions.
Want to understand Reproductive Identity further? Read about it in Psychology Today or download the debut article in the special issue of the American Psychologist.
Why does it matter to me?
Deciding “if, when, and how” to become a parent is a significant milestone. Each person’s reproductive identity formation is unique and may change over time. It is a lifelong process that requires supportive spaces and education for its ultimate self-realization.
This concept may help you better understand yourself, communicate with others more authentically, or question social norms. It may also empower you to protect your reproductive autonomy and to stand up for the reproductive justice of all people. It is this arena where internal growth meets collective power.
Who are we?
We are a team of counseling and clinical psychologists and students whose aim is to put the “psychology” back in “reproductive health”.
Today, many people are making reproductive decisions of greater complexity with limited literacy and outdated resources. This leaves individuals without the proper language, frameworks, and tools to guide their self development.
We hope to assist individuals to navigate this important process, and to help them realize “who” they may want to become or determine who they already are.
This site will offer high quality research and educational materials to the public. Its goal is to make academic knowledge accessible and to empower all people as they embark on their own reproductive identity journeys.
We will unveil a series of features and guides to further support your personal or professional exploration of reproductive identity.
About Us
The Reproductive Identity project emerged from the pioneering research on “matrescence” within the Maternal Psychology Laboratory and the Sex Education Initiative at Teachers College, Columbia University with the help of the Edlow Family Foundation.
If you are a sexual & reproductive health professional and wish to receive more in-depth training to innovate your current approach using our model, apply here.We also consult and offer tailored Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training for your particular learning community.