Fertile Connections: Thinking across Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Parenting Culture Studies

Abstract

Whilst studies of 'Parenting Culture' and 'Assisted Reproductive Technologies' (ARTs) are now well-established areas of social science scholarship, so far, the potential connections between the two fields have not been significantly explored. Responding to calls for a more 'processual' approach to studying reproduction (Almeling, 2015) in order to make clearer contributions to sociological theory more broadly, we begin a dialogue between these mutually relevant bodies of literature, highlighting connections and crosscutting findings. We focus on four interlinked themes -Reflexivity, Gender, Expertise and Stratification -and promote a more holistic approach to understanding how children are conceived and cared for within the current 'Euro-American' reproductive landscape. By way of conclusion, we draw attention to the contemporary context of 'anxious reproduction' and propose directions for future research.

Ideals, negotiations and gender roles in gay and lesbian co-parenting arrangements

“…This is not particular to co-parents as reflexivity and accountability are increasingly expected from would-be parents, in particular from those who wish to adopt or conceive a child through medical assistance. Prospective parents need to demonstrate their capacities to be 'responsible reproducers' and to behave as 'actual mothers and fathers' even before becoming parents (Faircloth and Gürtin 2017;De Graeve 2012). Authors have also shown that gay and lesbian individuals are more inclined to reflect upon and query their parental practices, not only because 'the reproductive process requires couples to make explicit their choices about the family they seek to become' (Nordqvist 2012, 646) but also as they especially tried to perform 'good parenthood' in environments where gay and lesbian parenting might still be regarded with suspicion (Donovan and Wilson 2008;Dunne 2000;Mamo 2007).…”

Conceptions of transgender parenthood in fertility care and family planning in Sweden: from reproductive rights to concrete practices

“…Similar criticisms of fertility preservation as contributing to a 'reproductive imperative' have been raised by Jack Halberstam, who has questioned the queer radical potential of Beatie's story, arguing that it rests too much on a 'universalist' narrative that normalises 'everyone's' desire to become a parent (2010, 78). Indeed, as Faircloth and Zeynep (2017) argue, the current culture in both assisted reproductive technologies and parenting is one that requires increased reflexivity and accountability from users, who must not only engage with increasing medical and technological expertise but also negotiate their relationship to normative expectations. For the purposes of this paper, and considering the long struggle to abolish the requirement for sterilisation as a 'natural consequence' of gender affirmation treatment, we argue that the risk of such a reproductive imperative is less relevant to our study than the need for increased recognition of transgender individuals as (potential) parents -and hence (potential) fertility patients.…”

Introduction - Making Parents: Reproductive Technologies and Parenting Culture across Borders

“…In the current reproductive milieu, it is certainly the case that, men and women, parents, and parents-to-be, are faced with a number of competing, and at times contradictory, discourses regarding not only how they should plan and execute their reproductive activities, but also how, to whom, and in what ways they need to 'account' for these actions (Faircloth 2013). Elsewhere (Faircloth and Gurtin, 2017), we provide a fuller overview of the two fields, drawing out four interlinked themesReflexivity, Gender, Expertise, and Stratification -to illustrate the ways in which engaging in comparisons and seeking convergences between the fields can reveal ever more clearly the demands, challenges and paradoxes around reproduction faced by contemporary individuals and societies, in the business of 'making' parents and children.…”