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Reception of oocytes from partner (ROPA): Exploring a pathway to motherhood of lesbians in China
20 February 2024, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm
Join this event to hear as Xuerui Hu explores the interpretations and relational negotiations in the decision-making process of ROPA.
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Dr Sonya Sharma
Location
-
Room G0355 Gordon SquareLondonWC1H 0NU
Xuerui's research focuses on a specific reproductive approach highly valued by lesbian couples in mainland China, known as Reception of Oocytes from Partner (ROPA). In ROPA, one partner provides the oocytes (immature eggs), which are then inseminated with sperm from an anonymous donor, while the other partner carries the pregnancy by receiving the resulting embryos.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 lesbians in mainland China, Xuerui explores the interpretations and the relational negotiations in the decision-making process of ROPA. Through an analysis of their narratives, this seminar reveals not only their longing for social recognition of their lesbian relationships from parents and close relatives, but also the internal conflicts these women grapple with regarding the discourse of worm-exploitation of the birth mother that is imposed by the heteronormative context.
This in-person event will be particularly useful to researchers, policymakers and educators interested in gender, fertility, inequalities, diverse families and social and cultural change.
Related links
About the Speaker
Xuerui Hu
PhD student at UCL Social Research Institute
She is interested in reproduction, family transformation, parenting cultures and modernity in contemporary China.
She is exploring the reproductive experiences of lesbians in mainland China, trying to understand how various changes in cultural, social, institutional and economic processes shape lesbians’ interpretation and practices of reproduction.