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Reproductive Work in the Global South: Lived Experiences and Social Relations of Commercial Surrogacy in India

Author

Listed:
  • Madhusree Jana

    (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India)

  • Anita Hammer

    (University of Essex, UK)

Abstract

This article investigates reproductive work in the Global South which thrives on the commodification of women’s reproductive bodies under local-global reproductive hierarchies, appropriating the process of reproduction for production. Through a qualitative study of commercial surrogacy in north India, it examines the lived experiences of surrogates within the capitalist social relations they are embedded in. Conceptualising surrogacy as reproductive labour which contributes to value generation, the article assesses labour relations at the workplace, for example hostels where surrogates ‘live and work’, and the mechanisms of recruitment, contracting and control which function through dense networks of social and material relations between various stakeholders. The weak bargaining power of surrogates and the immense power of fertility clinics and agents are compounded by the lack of effective regulation and the state’s prohibitionist policy. The article argues for protecting the rights of surrogates as workers rather than the recent ban on surrogacy imposed in India.

Suggested Citation

  • Madhusree Jana & Anita Hammer, 2022. "Reproductive Work in the Global South: Lived Experiences and Social Relations of Commercial Surrogacy in India," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(5), pages 945-966, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:36:y:2022:i:5:p:945-966
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017021997370
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anita Hammer, 2019. "Comparative capitalism and emerging economies: formal-informal economy interlockages and implications for institutional analysis," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 337-360, March.
    2. Carol Wolkowitz, 2002. "The Social Relations of body Work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 16(3), pages 497-510, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Jung, 2025. "‘Spreading love’ or ‘working holiday’? The narrative of altruistic rhetorics, financial motivations, and risks in domestic and transnational Taiwanese egg donation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 384(C).

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