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Fate, morals and rational calculations: Freezing eggs for non-medical reasons in Turkey

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  • Kılıç, Azer
  • Göçmen, İpek

Abstract

This article aims to explore women's decisions to freeze their eggs for non-medical reasons in Turkey. It draws on semi-structured interviews conducted with twenty-one women who were either in the process of freezing their eggs, or had completed the process within the previous year. Being highly educated and holding prestigious occupations, on the one hand, and faced with traditional gender norms, on the other, these women are confronted with a challenging decision. When making such a decision to freeze their eggs, women act under the constraints defined by biomedical paradigms, the society they live in, and the future uncertainty of their lives. However, it becomes apparent that women are able to reconcile different kinds of rationalities and concerns in their decisions to freeze eggs. They engage in rational calculations to find a solution to their reproductive concerns; they turn to their own belief systems when dealing with future uncertainty; and they negotiate social norms concerning virginity, while trying to conform to traditional reproductive roles.

Suggested Citation

  • Kılıç, Azer & Göçmen, İpek, 2018. "Fate, morals and rational calculations: Freezing eggs for non-medical reasons in Turkey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 19-27.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:203:y:2018:i:c:p:19-27
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.03.014
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Daniela Bellani & Gøsta Esping-Andersen & Lesia Nedoluzhko, 2017. "Never partnered: A multilevel analysis of lifelong singlehood," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(4), pages 53-100.
    2. Catherine Waldby, 2015. "THE OOCYTE MARKET AND SOCIAL EGG FREEZING: From scarcity to singularity," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(3), pages 275-291, June.
    3. Streeck, Wolfgang, 2009. "Flexible employment, flexible families, and the socialization of reproduction," MPIfG Working Paper 09/13, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    4. Murtagh, Madeleine J. & Hepworth, Julie, 2003. "Feminist ethics and menopause: autonomy and decision-making in primary medical care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(8), pages 1643-1652, April.
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