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From the body as an object to embodied subjectivity: Social egg freezing as a personal definition rite among ultra-orthodox singles

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  • Billig, Miriam
  • Maor, Maya

Abstract

As an innovative reproductive technology, social egg freezing (SEF) challenges the ultra-Orthodox community's position in the tension between tradition and modernity. On the one hand, SEF can enable singles of advanced age to fulfill their most important social and religious role of building big families when they eventually marry. On the other hand, exposure to SEF may lead to openness to social change, including changes in gender roles, division of labor, and control over female fertility. Based on in-depth interviews, the present study examined the experiences of ultra-Orthodox singles throughout the SEF process, based on conceptual frameworks of “rites of passage”, “group definition ceremonies” and “personal definition rites”. The findings reveal that ultra-Orthodox single women creatively invented strategies to discreetly cope with various obstacles, unassisted by their families or communities. Not only can personal definition rites take form without the community's participation and support, but they can also be carried out privately and secretively. By undergoing SEF, ultra-Orthodox singles exert agency in making independent choices over their bodies. Despite being embedded in a conservative, traditional context, the results indicate that participants initiate bottom-up change in social norms in relation to the status of singlehood, timing of marriage, and family size.

Suggested Citation

  • Billig, Miriam & Maor, Maya, 2024. "From the body as an object to embodied subjectivity: Social egg freezing as a personal definition rite among ultra-orthodox singles," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 348(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:348:y:2024:i:c:s0277953624002545
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116810
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Schrøder, Katja & Janssens, Astrid & Hvidt, Elisabeth Assing, 2021. "Adverse events as transitional markers - Using liminality to understand experiences of second victims," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    2. Kyweluk, Moira A., 2020. "Quantifying fertility? Direct-to-consumer ovarian reserve testing and the new (in)fertility pipeline," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    3. Veazey Brooks, Joanna & Bosk, Charles L., 2012. "Remaking surgical socialization: Work hour restrictions, rites of passage, and occupational identity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(9), pages 1625-1632.
    4. Shirley Ben Shlomo & Ayelet Oreg, 2022. "Ultra-Orthodox Lesbian Women in Israel: Alternative Family Structures as a Bridge between Religious and Sexual Identities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-21, June.
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