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Sex Cells: The Medical Market for Eggs and Sperm University of California Press (2011) Unimaginable until the twentieth century, the clinical practice of transferring eggs and sperm from body to body is now the basis of a bustling market. In Sex Cells, Rene Almeling provides an inside look at how egg agencies and sperm banks do business. Although both men and women are usually drawn to donation for financial reasons, Almeling finds that clinics encourage sperm donors to think of the payments as remuneration for an easy "job." Women receive more money but are urged to regard egg donation in feminine terms, as the ultimate "gift" from one woman to another. Sex Cells shows how the gendered framing of paid donation, as either a job or a gift, not only influences the structure of the market, but also profoundly affects the individuals whose genetic material is being purchased. Visit the publisher's website (here) to read the Introduction, review the table of contents, and recommend your library buy it. |
Awards
Diana Forsythe Prize, American Anthropological Association
Best Book Award, American Sociological Association's Body and Embodiment Section
Simmons Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Sociological Association's Medical Sociology Section
Distinguished Book Award (Honorable Mention), American Sociological Association's Sex and Gender Section
From the back cover...
“What happens when sex cells sell? Do human bodies become degraded objects of commerce? Challenging simplistic accounts of commodification, Almeling offers a compelling analysis of contemporary markets for eggs and sperm. A superb contribution to 21st century economic sociology.” -Viviana A. Zelizer, author of Economic Lives: How Culture Shapes the Economy
“This is a highly informative book. Almeling provides a balanced approach to this highly controversial subject. Although you might be conflicted by the ethical issues, you will definitely be extremely well-informed when you finish this book.” -Alan H. DeCherney, MD, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
“Almeling offers a wonderfully thoughtful analysis and an innovative cultural lens for viewing the gendered lives of sex cells and their commodification in the contemporary USA.” -Rayna Rapp, author of Testing Women, Testing the Fetus: The Impact of Amniocentesis in America
Diana Forsythe Prize, American Anthropological Association
Best Book Award, American Sociological Association's Body and Embodiment Section
Simmons Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Sociological Association's Medical Sociology Section
Distinguished Book Award (Honorable Mention), American Sociological Association's Sex and Gender Section
From the back cover...
“What happens when sex cells sell? Do human bodies become degraded objects of commerce? Challenging simplistic accounts of commodification, Almeling offers a compelling analysis of contemporary markets for eggs and sperm. A superb contribution to 21st century economic sociology.” -Viviana A. Zelizer, author of Economic Lives: How Culture Shapes the Economy
“This is a highly informative book. Almeling provides a balanced approach to this highly controversial subject. Although you might be conflicted by the ethical issues, you will definitely be extremely well-informed when you finish this book.” -Alan H. DeCherney, MD, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
“Almeling offers a wonderfully thoughtful analysis and an innovative cultural lens for viewing the gendered lives of sex cells and their commodification in the contemporary USA.” -Rayna Rapp, author of Testing Women, Testing the Fetus: The Impact of Amniocentesis in America
Interviews about Sex Cells with Glenn Cohen for his free HarvardX bioethics course...
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Part 1: Sperm donation market
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Part 2: Egg donor selection
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Part 3: Cost of eggs and sperm
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Part 4: Recruiting sperm donors
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