Conceptualizing aged reproduction: genetic connectedness, son preference and assisted reproduction in North India

Majumdar, Anindita (2022) Conceptualizing aged reproduction: genetic connectedness, son preference and assisted reproduction in North India. Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online, 14. pp. 182-191. ISSN 2405-6618

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Abstract

In this paper, I explore the narratives on the administration of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments amongst ageing men and women who are past their ‘reproductive prime’. I use the phrase ‘past their reproductive prime’ with caution as ART has the capability to resurrect the desire, quest and conception of children amongst these ageing women and men. In rural agrarian Haryana in North India, ART panders to, and provides, potent narratives for perpetuation of the patrilineage for genetic continuity through the male line. The administration of ART treatments to this particular demographic is undertaken through the ‘operation’ of two particular forms of discourse: the desire for genetic perpetuity, and the pursuit of sons. In this enterprise, the aged pregnant body becomes an important trope of resurrecting childless marriages, evidenced by the secrecy surrounding the use of donated sperm, and the open rejection of adoption. Through an exploration of conceptualizations of pregnancy, age and legislation in India, I present the argument that ART supports the pursuit of genetic connectedness by resurrecting the social importance of genetic connectedness through sons and the pregnant wife. In this paper, I purposely engage with elements of the study of kinship and family in South Asia to undertake an analysis of how ART is used as part of a larger social narrative around conception and pregnancy amongst older married couples. © 2021

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IITH Creators:

IITH Creators	ORCiD
Majumdar, Anindita	UNSPECIFIED

Item Type:

Article

Additional Information:

The author wishes to thank Anupam Sharma for support during the fieldwork in Haryana, and Sarah Franklin for her support in publishing this paper. The author also wishes to thank the anonymous peer reviewers for their timely comments. This paper is based on research funded by the Wellcome Trust UK (2018 Small Grant 209620/Z/17/Z).

Uncontrolled Keywords:

adoption; adult; aging; agricultural worker; article; child; childlessness; conception; demography; female; Haryana; human; infertility therapy; law; male; married person; narrative; pregnancy; social status; son; sperm; wife

Subjects:

Arts > Liberal arts

Divisions:

Department of Liberal Arts

Depositing User:

. LibTrainee 2021

Date Deposited:

18 Jul 2022 12:14

Last Modified:

18 Jul 2022 12:14

URI:

http://raiithold.iith.ac.in/id/eprint/9612