父系價值與污名的多重權力交錯：以五位不孕婦女的生命經驗為例

本研究探討父系價值與污名如何交錯作用於不孕婦女的生命經驗。研究者採用Miller的污名理論，認為不孕婦女的壓力可被理解為是父系社會制定的父系價值決定污名的存在，並且賦予歧視與恥辱。在父系價值、污名的運作範疇下，又包含了權力的交錯，構成相互糾結的複雜脈絡，需要細緻地爬梳。為了探究不孕婦女在日常生活中如何「感受」到污名的運作、她們的經驗以及污名對不孕婦女求醫經驗的影響。本研究深度訪談五位不孕婦女，特別關注不孕婦女生命經驗的詮釋過程，避免將她們的經驗視為理所當然。本研究發現如下：（一）不孕婦女的污名感受與管理：不孕婦女感受到他人期待生子的言語和目光以及媒體建構的女性形象，使得不孕污名流動於自己和他人之間；而不孕污名因為性別權力差異的影響，造成不孕污名主要集中在女性身上。另外，不孕婦女的污名管理可分為：隱藏、有條件的現身、即使現身，也可能是「前台」的演出。（二）不孕婦女的污名經驗與家庭權力關係：不孕婦女在「後台」相當孤獨，但她們可以藉由向好友傾訴或在網路形成互助系統達到發聲的效果；在父系家庭下，不孕婦女回應污名的能力來自於女性權力發展，若先生的性別權力和公婆的世代權力越大，不孕婦女越容易被污名所滲透。相較之下，母親可以成為不孕婦女的後援，增加抵抗污名的力量，但如果外家（娘家）服膺父系價值，反會加深不孕婦女的污名。（三）不孕婦女的就醫經驗：中醫和民俗醫療不嚴謹的醫療模式讓女性有較大權力維護身體的正常性；而西醫艱澀的醫學知識讓女性權力難以開展。但不論是中醫、西醫或民俗醫療，皆讓女性承擔大部分生育責任，使不孕婦女仍被限制在父系價值的框架內。本研究發現，在父系價值與污名的雙重權力運作下，以相互糾結的複雜脈絡形塑不孕婦女的經驗。最後，研究者期待不孕婦女可以藉由本文詮釋婦女不孕的經驗更加了解污名的本質，察覺自己在父系價值下可能展現的女性權力，具備對抗父系社會和污名的可能性。

關鍵字

父系價值；污名；權力；不孕經驗；性別；婦女

並列摘要

This research investigates the way in which patrilineal values and the stigma work on life experiences of infertile women. The researcher has used Miller’s theoretical framework on stigmatization to study pressure borne by infertile women. The pressure can be understood as a type of stigma determined by the patrilineal values constructed in a patrilineal society which produces discrimination and shame. There are power intertwined in the working process of patrilineal values and stigma. Power, patrilineal values, and stigma create a complicated context under which infertile women live. This complicated context needs to be analysed carefully and delicately. In order to investigate the way in which the stigma works in infertile women’s everyday life, these women’s experiences, and the way in which the stigma influences infertile women’s medical experiences, the researcher conducted five in-depth interviews on infertile women. This research particularly focuses on the interpreting process of infertile women’s life experiences to so that these experiences are not taken for granted. The research findings are as follows: (1) Infertile women’s feelings and the way they manage the stigma: The infertile women sense expectations of bearing descendants from others, and notice media representation of women. These make the stigma of infertility travels between the women themselves and other people. Because of the differences of gendered power, the stigma mainly focuses on women. In addition, the way in which infertile women manage the stigma can be categorized into the following ways: to hide themselves, to ‘show up’ subject to condition, and to ‘show up’ as a performance on the ‘front stage.’ (2) The infertile women’s experiences of the stigma and the power relationships in the family: The infertile women are really lonely on the ‘backstage,’ but they could speak for themselves via chatting with friends or forming a supporting network on the Internet. In the patrilineal family, the extent to which infertile women react to the stigma comes from the development of female power. If their husbands hold greater gendered power, or, their parents-in-law hold greater generational power, these women are more likely to be penetrated by the stigma. Mothers can be strong supports for infertile women which strengthen infertile women’s power of resistance. However, if these women’s families are subject to patrilineal values, the stigma could worsen. (3) Infertile women’s medical experiences: Women hold greater power to keep a normal body because Chinese medicine or folk medical treatments practice in a less strict way (compared to modern medicine) whereas difficult medical terms from modern medicine cripple women’s ways to exert power on their bodies. All of the medical treatments—Chinese medicine, folk medical treatments, or modern medicine—lay most responsibilities of reproduction on women which limit infertile women to the frame of patrilineal values. This research reveals that infertile women’s experiences are constructed by patrilineal values and the stigma in a twisted and complicated way. To sum up, this research expects infertile women—via interpreting experiences of infertility—to clearly understand the nature of the stigma, and to realize women’s power under the control of patrilineal values so that they could possibly change patrilineal society and the stigma.