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Determinants of online sperm donor success: how women choose

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  • Stephen Whyte
  • Benno Torgler

Abstract

Because the worldwide demand for sperm donors is much higher than the actual supply available through fertility clinics, an informal online market has emerged for sperm donation. Very little empirical evidence exists, however, on this newly formed market and even less on the characteristics that lead to donor success. This article therefore explores the determinants of online sperm donors’ selection success, which leads to the production of offspring via informal donation. We find that donor age and income play a significant role in donor success as measured by the number of times selected, even though there is no requirement for ongoing paternal investment. Donors with less extroverted and lively personality traits who are more intellectual, shy and systematic are more successful in realizing offspring via informal donation. These results contribute to both the economic literature on human behaviour and on large-scale decision-making.

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  • Stephen Whyte & Benno Torgler, 2016. "Determinants of online sperm donor success: how women choose," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(8), pages 592-596, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:apeclt:v:23:y:2016:i:8:p:592-596
    DOI: 10.1080/13504851.2015.1090543
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    Cited by:

    1. Stephen Whyte & Benno Torgler, 2016. "Assortative mating in the online market for sperm donation," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 169-194, October.

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