Physiognomy, familism and consumerism: preferences among Jewish-Israeli recipients of donor insemination.

Full Abstract

This paper examines the physiological preferences of Jewish-Israeli donor insemination (DI) recipients regarding the desirable donor. (1) By comparing recipients' own physiognomy with that of a hypothetical donor, we explore some of the social potentials of DI in its emerging democratized form. We examine prevailing notions regarding the 'natural family' and 'family resemblance' and query the relative weight of the natural vs. the consumer model as applied to one's own family through considerations regarding physical appearance. While examining the 'natural family' concept as a limit in the making of actual Israeli families, we consider the meanings of choice in the context of procreative technologies. The study may also provide practitioners with relevant information for donor matching. The paper is based on questionnaires delivered in four sperm banks during the years 1995-1998. It is important to note that the preferences we study are hypothetical, as in Israel no choice is offered and donor matching is performed exclusively by doctors. (2) Three comparisons serve as vehicles for characterizing the gaps between the natural and the consumer model:
women's preferences regarding the donor's appearance vs. their male partners' appearance; men's preferences vs. their own features; single women's preferences vs. those of married ones. The paper ends with a discussion of the social implications of democratized DI on family, gender power relations and social hegemony.

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Author information

Author/s: Birenbaum-Carmeli, Daphna (D); Carmeli, Yoram S (YS);

Affiliation: Department of Nursing, University of Haifa, Israel. daphna(-atsign-)research.haifa.ac.il

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Social science & medicine (1982) (Soc Sci Med), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Feb; vol 54 (issue 3) : pp 363-76

Dates: Created 2002/02/04; Completed 2002/02/12; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 11824913, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Anthropometry
Body Image
Consumer Satisfaction
Family - ethnology
Female
Humans
Insemination, Artificial, Heterologous - psychology
Israel

Jews - psychology
Living Donors
Male
Physiognomy
Pregnancy
Questionnaires
Sperm Banks - organization & administration
Tissue Donors
Visual Perception

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