Paper short abstract:

Based on eight months of ethnographic fieldwork in Montenegro, this paper explores how biomedical technologies and sociocultural ideas about gender intersect with the understanding of foetal viability in Montenegro, a country with a skewed sex ratio at birth.

Paper long abstract:

Montenegro ranks among the top ten countries globally with the most imbalanced sex ratio at birth (UNDP 2012). Son preference persists in Montenegro, as evidenced not only in historical records but also in contemporary society (Stump 2011, UNDP 2012). This preference stems from the perception of men and male offspring as more valuable than women and female offspring (Kiščenko 2021, 87); male offspring are expected to inherit the family name, assets, and provide care for aging parents. Some prospective parents use biomedical technologies such as prenatal testing (CVS, Cell-free foetal DNA testing) and ultrasound scans to determine the sex of the foetus. In certain instances, sex-selective abortion is employed to prevent the viability of a female foetus.

In this paper, I argue that reproductive ideas, shaped by sociocultural perceptions of gender and facilitated by the use of biomedical technology, perpetuate deeply problematic notions that prioritize men and male offspring over women and female offspring in Montenegrin society. Consequently, foetal viability in certain parts of Montenegrin society becomes entwined with gendered potentiality—gendered ideas and practices associated with the unborn child. In addition, while sex-selective abortion is construed as the termination of a female foetus, the action itself harbors the potential for a subsequent pregnancy and the desired gendered foetus in the future.