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One Woman Helping Another

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  • Jennifer Haylett

Abstract

California is the global hub for assisted reproductive technology practices, including egg donation. The rise of egg donation in the United States is surprising given the cultural context linking genetics and motherhood and rejecting the commodification of reproduction. Scholars in the hostile worlds camp have grappled with the relationship between intimacy and economics, yet employing this theory to explain the increase in egg donation is unsatisfactory. The concept of relational work, developed by Viviana Zelizer, provides scholars with a robust analytical tool to account for the rise in egg donation. This paper analyzes the relational work of egg donors and fertility center staff. I argue that donors and staff construct an understanding of egg donation that avoids directly challenging the cultural context mentioned above. Analyzing egg donation as a case of relational work demonstrates the need to move beyond the reciprocity/market dichotomy upheld by the hostile worlds framework.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Haylett, 2012. "One Woman Helping Another," Politics & Society, , vol. 40(2), pages 223-247, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:polsoc:v:40:y:2012:i:2:p:223-247
    DOI: 10.1177/0032329212441599
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    Cited by:

    1. Mukherjee, Meghna, 2020. "The Management of Unequal Patient Status in Fertility Medicine: Donors' and Intended Parents’ Experiences of Participatory and Imposed Enrollment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    2. Coveney, Catherine & Hudson, Nicky & Funes, Sara Lafuente- & Jacxsens, Lara & Provoost, Veerle, 2022. "From scarcity to sisterhood: The framing of egg donation on fertility clinic websites in the UK, Belgium and Spain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).

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