Between Threads and Us: Reproductive itineraries and meanings of tubal ligation in the voices of sterilized women.
Female Sterilization; reproductive itineraries; reproductive health; narratives.
Based on the narratives about the reproductive itineraries of sterilized women, we sought to reflect on the negotiations and social constraints that influence the individual decisions of these women. The aim of the research is to move between the stories of the interlocutors, without restricting the experiences to the moment of surgery; Therefore, I use the term "itinerary" as the central axis. Until 2018, 67 thousand surgeries were performed, of which only 23% were in compliance with the Family Planning Law. Although the main people requesting the procedure are women themselves, it is essential to recognize that personal decisions permeate social contexts that shape their objective and subjective possibilities. The work aims to monitor how these decisions impact their reproductive repertoires, in addition to understanding the figures and notions mobilized, such as family, motherhood and femininity. Thus, the research is built on the itineraries of six women from different regions of Bahia and one from Rio de Janeiro, all belonging to popular classes and residing in rural or peripheral areas.