Young men's procreative identity: Becoming aware, being aware, and being responsible

Using a purposive sample of 37 single men aged 16 to 30, in-depth face-to-f ace interviews, and a grounded theory approach, we explore males' subjectiv e experiences as procreative beings. Our study is informed by symbolic inte ractionism and 2 sensitizing concepts: procreative consciousness and procre ative responsibility. We focus on how males become aware of their perceived fecundity!, experience themselves as procreative beings once they become a ware, and view responsibility while orienting themselves toward their sexua l and potential paternal roles. Our analyses deepen, expand, integrate, and ground in empirical data notions about procreative consciousness and men's experiences. We find that males use varied interpretive foci to assign mea ning to discovering their procreative potential. Furthermore, ute show how romantic partners help males co-construct their procreative consciousness, ill part by helping men actively, attend to issues of procreative responsib ility. Consistent with our grounded theory approach, we discuss 5 new dimen sions to procreative consciousness suggested by our data: fecundity percept ion, emotional response, knowledge, temporality, and child visions.