Gender disappointment

Not to be confused with Gender dysphoria.
A round white cake with a large black question mark and smaller gender symbols on it.
A cake for a gender reveal party. Gender disappointment might reveal itself at one of these parties.

Gender disappointment is the feeling of sadness parents experience when the desire for a child of a preferred sex is not met. It can create feelings of shame which cannot always be expressed openly.[1] It is often noticed in cultures where women are viewed as of a lower status and the preferred choice is for a male infant, i.e. son preference.[2] It may result in sex-selective killing,[1] or the neglection of female children.[3]

Gender disappointment can occur before or after giving birth. It has been questioned whether it can be considered a unique mental illness or whether it should be linked to other mental disorders, like depression (e.g. postpartum depression) or adjustment disorders. Its treatment can be complex since a particular pathway to recovery has not yet been defined.[1] Nonetheless, there are some treatments available that have been shown to be successful.

  1. ^ a b c Hendl, Tereza; Browne, Tamara Kayali (June 2020). "Is 'gender disappointment' a unique mental illness?". Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. 23 (2): 281–294. doi:10.1007/s11019-019-09933-3. ISSN 1572-8633. PMID 31865528. S2CID 209447227.
  2. ^ Supraja, T.A.; Varghese, Meiya; Desai, Geetha; Chandra, Prabha S (2016). "The relationship of gender preference to anxiety, stress and family violence among pregnant women in urban India". International Journal of Culture and Mental Health. 9 (4): 356–363. doi:10.1080/17542863.2016.1205114. ISSN 1754-2863. S2CID 147998678.
  3. ^ Theerthaana, P.; Sheik Manzoor, A. K. (October 2019). "Gender disappointment in India: SEM modeling approach". Archives of Women's Mental Health. 22 (5): 593–603. doi:10.1007/s00737-018-0929-8. ISSN 1435-1102. PMID 30488115. S2CID 53807691.