Rosanna Hertz
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195179903
- eISBN:
- 9780199944118
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195179903.003.0015
- Subject:
- Sociology, Marriage and the Family
This chapter explores how donor-assisted families construct an absent father to fit with the dictates of the master narrative that all children have physical fathers. It turns out that the women who ...
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This chapter explores how donor-assisted families construct an absent father to fit with the dictates of the master narrative that all children have physical fathers. It turns out that the women who most easily resurrect the father are those who conceive by known donors. They build into this agreement that the child will have at least a face for his or her father, even though this man is not expected to have a social relationship with the child. On the other hand, women who use anonymous donors have to construct these men from paper alone. The mother and child together fashion a suitable father, bringing an anonymous donor to life from a list of details.Less
This chapter explores how donor-assisted families construct an absent father to fit with the dictates of the master narrative that all children have physical fathers. It turns out that the women who most easily resurrect the father are those who conceive by known donors. They build into this agreement that the child will have at least a face for his or her father, even though this man is not expected to have a social relationship with the child. On the other hand, women who use anonymous donors have to construct these men from paper alone. The mother and child together fashion a suitable father, bringing an anonymous donor to life from a list of details.
Rosanna Hertz and Margaret K. Nelson
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- October 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190888275
- eISBN:
- 9780190888305
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190888275.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Marriage and the Family, Gender and Sexuality
Chapter 1 describes how parents choose a sperm donor with which to conceive a child. It shows that all parents take into account a similar range of factors as they select from among the available ...
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Chapter 1 describes how parents choose a sperm donor with which to conceive a child. It shows that all parents take into account a similar range of factors as they select from among the available donor profiles. Parents choose donors with traits they believe will secure advantage for their children; they also choose donors with traits they believe fit well with the families they are creating. They choose among the types of donors available, including known donors, anonymous donors, and identity-release donors. The choices made before conception enable intending parents to express their taste and values and through that expression to make the child their own. All of the parents interviewed disclosed donor conception to their children. Both the variety of types of donors and the variety of information about individual donors have increased over time in response to consumer preferences.Less
Chapter 1 describes how parents choose a sperm donor with which to conceive a child. It shows that all parents take into account a similar range of factors as they select from among the available donor profiles. Parents choose donors with traits they believe will secure advantage for their children; they also choose donors with traits they believe fit well with the families they are creating. They choose among the types of donors available, including known donors, anonymous donors, and identity-release donors. The choices made before conception enable intending parents to express their taste and values and through that expression to make the child their own. All of the parents interviewed disclosed donor conception to their children. Both the variety of types of donors and the variety of information about individual donors have increased over time in response to consumer preferences.
