Paper Short Abstract:

This study uses case study to show how homosexual single mothers in urban China imagine their reproduction and social relationship by using artificial reproductive technology. They want to reproduce care and intimacy in the process of realizing their reproductive decision.

Paper Abstract:

From the embodied or witnessed experience of taking care of the elderly, women found that reproducing intimacy and care through giving birth is quite significant and special in their life course, especially for homosexual women from other cities or other provinces. With the situation of lacking social support, they would like to “reproduce” a kid without a heterosexual partner by using artificial reproductive technology for themselves so that to reproduce their intimacy and care in life. In the process of decision making, they find ways to challenge the mainstream social norms and negotiate within their social network to realize their reproductive decision. Their strategies and logics in reproduction showed that homosexual single mothers used artificial reproductive technology to affirm their gender identity as well as to respond to the mainstream norms on reproduction and childrearing in urban China.