The role of normative ideologies of motherhood in intended mothers' experiences of egg donation in Canada
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2171507 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kathleen Hammond (0000-0002-5281-583X, University of Cambridge, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 265-279 |
| Publication date | 2018-09-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Anthropology and Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1364-8470 • E-ISSN: 1469-2910 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13648470.2018.1507483 |
| PMID | 30686029 |
| OpenAlex | W2913127226 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 15 |
This paper explores 18 infertile Canadian intended mothers' experiences using donor eggs to conceive. Their narratives reflect a persistent normative ideology of reproduction and motherhood in Canada, where reproduction is natural, and expected, mother and child are genetically related, and two (genetic) parent families are what is normal. These ideologies permeate intended mothers' experiences of infertility, and their relationship with their egg donor. Much of the intended mothers' grief over their infertility was attributable to the gap between their experience and their perceived sense of normality. While intended mothers' relationships with their egg donor varied across a 'relational spectrum', their desire to minimize the gap between their experience and normative motherhood resulted in many intended mothers choosing less inclusive relationships, to the left of the spectrum, so as to mentally distance themselves from their use of donor eggs. Ultimately, however, in choosing to pursue egg donation, and in normalizing a different understanding of motherhood for themselves, these intended mothers are influencing cultural practices in Canada. In the long run, they, and others like them, are likely to alter cultural attitudes and conceptions of 'normality' when it comes to reproduction and motherhood
Biology · Developmental psychology · Donation · Egg donation · Grief · Ideology · Infertility · Narrative · Normality · Normative · Obstetrics · Political science · Politics · Pregnancy · Psychotherapist · Reproduction · Sociology · Assisted Reproductive Technology and Twin Pregnancy · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies · Gender Studies · Medicine · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies · Social Psychology
Psychological Components of Infertility
‘I feel like I was born for something that my body can’t do’
Monsieur graine, donneur, mais pas papa »
Not Worth the Wait
A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis of Women’s Experience of Infertility and Fertility Treatment From an Existential Perspective
The plurality of norms that factor into Canadians’ decisions to engage in transnational egg transactions
I would want to pay her
A Sense of Connectedness in Reproductive Donation. Contrasting Policy With Donor and Donor Kin Lived Experience
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1.6 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |