Patriarchal Bargains and Assisted Reproductive Treatment in Thailand

Abstract

The utilization of assisted reproduction technologies in Thailand both redefines and reproduces patriarchal inequalities. The concept of a “patriarchal bargain” is utilized as a means of analyzing the ways in which women use assisted reproductive technologies to maximize their life security and options within the specific system of gendered power relations within Thailand. The article is based upon ethnographic research in two public and three private clinics in which 31 women, 13 men, and six staff were interviewed, on their practices and experiences of undertaking assisted reproduction in Thailand. Thai expectations of male sexual privilege and the fear of marital instability figured as an important motivator in informants’ discussion on why they were undertaking IVF. Women spoke of the open pressure upon them to undergo IVF, in some cases despite their own reluctance. The process of undergoing IVF itself may entail further concessions by women to secure care, such that the treatment itself changes marital dynamics toward more patriarchal control. The technologies not only reinforce the patriarchal imperatives in Thai society that compel women to try to become pregnant, but also entail new forms of submission by women. This draws attention to the need for more nuanced studies of the use of these technologies, and their consequences for gender relations in various cultural settings.