This study provides a close narrative analysis of one man’s justification for gaining reproductive control over an intimate partner. Frequent narrative disjunction, or inconsistency within narrative accounts, permeates the subject’s description of his intimate relationship. Further, the way in which he struggles to justify his “head of household” status reveals a tension between the dominant gender narrative he strives to uphold and his actual experiences. As evidenced, men can evoke the discourse of patriarchy against their own best interests and to the detriment of their intimate relationships. However, narrative disjunctions indicate an opening through which change can occur, pointing to specific areas where the cultural ideals of masculinity strain against the realities of practical life. Recognizing that narratives are deliberately and artificially crafted, one can begin to discern the tensions between the personal and the social in identity maintenance and can begin to generate useful narratives that challenge dominant ideologies.
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