(Trans)forming kinship: An institutional ethnographic study of transgender fertility care
Buyck, Joren Anna Felicita (2022)
2022
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2022-10-19
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202210137598
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202210137598
Tiivistelmä
The main purpose of this study is to gain insight into the ways normative ideas of kinship are formed and altered in the everyday practices of transgender fertility care. This research is thus situated within the social sciences and gender studies scholarship on transgender care, assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and critical kinship studies.
Whilst research has been carried out on reproductive care and the use of ART among sexual minorities, there have been few theoretical and empirical investigations into reproductive care among gender minorities. In the light of this research gap, this study draws on a research design which focuses on examining trans fertility care practices in a Belgian hospital. More specifically, in the Gender Centre and the Department of Reproductive Medicine of the hospital. The research question of this study is: in which ways are notions of kinship (trans)formed in transgender fertility care practices?
To explore the relation between transgender fertility care and kinship the study applies an institutional ethnographic approach. Institutional ethnography employs ethnographic methods to examine how power relations manifest in the everyday organization of institutions. The study draws on multiple types of qualitative data, such as in-depth interviews, (audio/video recorded) observations and different types of documents. Integrating these multiple data sources generates a rich picture of the everyday organization of transgender fertility care in this hospital.
The study finds that the care practices in this hospital constitute a broad view on kinship. The healthcare professionals understand biogenetic family making as only one of the ways to make kin and are also open towards non-genetic parenthood. Moreover, unconventional kin-making practices, such as trans masculine pregnancy, surrogacy and multiple parent families are welcomed as well. However, even though their practices create a broad norm-challenging view on kinship, some ways of becoming related receive more time, space and encouragement than others. More specifically, family-making practices which rely on biology and a pregnancy are constituted as more obvious ways of becoming related. In addition, their view on kinship does not take into account the specific history trans and queer people have with regards to making kin and their practices also echo binary, cisnormative, heteronormative and couplenormative views on creating families. Hence, this study explains how the healthcare professionals’ practices transform ideas with regards to family making while simultaneously reinforcing kinship normativities.
To conclude, the findings of this study contribute to feminist and social sciences scholarship by describing understudied fertility practices and by offering a new critical analytical angle to vital discussions on ART and kinship. Besides theoretical contributions, the results of this study also provide insights that are valuable for healthcare professionals and policymakers to reflect upon current (trans) fertility care practices, legislation and policy.
Whilst research has been carried out on reproductive care and the use of ART among sexual minorities, there have been few theoretical and empirical investigations into reproductive care among gender minorities. In the light of this research gap, this study draws on a research design which focuses on examining trans fertility care practices in a Belgian hospital. More specifically, in the Gender Centre and the Department of Reproductive Medicine of the hospital. The research question of this study is: in which ways are notions of kinship (trans)formed in transgender fertility care practices?
To explore the relation between transgender fertility care and kinship the study applies an institutional ethnographic approach. Institutional ethnography employs ethnographic methods to examine how power relations manifest in the everyday organization of institutions. The study draws on multiple types of qualitative data, such as in-depth interviews, (audio/video recorded) observations and different types of documents. Integrating these multiple data sources generates a rich picture of the everyday organization of transgender fertility care in this hospital.
The study finds that the care practices in this hospital constitute a broad view on kinship. The healthcare professionals understand biogenetic family making as only one of the ways to make kin and are also open towards non-genetic parenthood. Moreover, unconventional kin-making practices, such as trans masculine pregnancy, surrogacy and multiple parent families are welcomed as well. However, even though their practices create a broad norm-challenging view on kinship, some ways of becoming related receive more time, space and encouragement than others. More specifically, family-making practices which rely on biology and a pregnancy are constituted as more obvious ways of becoming related. In addition, their view on kinship does not take into account the specific history trans and queer people have with regards to making kin and their practices also echo binary, cisnormative, heteronormative and couplenormative views on creating families. Hence, this study explains how the healthcare professionals’ practices transform ideas with regards to family making while simultaneously reinforcing kinship normativities.
To conclude, the findings of this study contribute to feminist and social sciences scholarship by describing understudied fertility practices and by offering a new critical analytical angle to vital discussions on ART and kinship. Besides theoretical contributions, the results of this study also provide insights that are valuable for healthcare professionals and policymakers to reflect upon current (trans) fertility care practices, legislation and policy.