The vast majority of theses in this collection are open access and freely available. There are a small number of theses that have access restricted to the WWU campus. For off-campus access to a thesis labeled "Campus Only Access," please log in here with your WWU universal ID, or talk to your librarian about requesting the restricted thesis through interlibrary loan.
Gestational Carrier Bloggers: Key Points of Uncertainty in the Social Exchange with Intended Parents
Date Permissions Signed
8-15-2022
Date of Award
Summer 2022
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Bruna, Sean
Second Advisor
Mosher, M. J. (Anthropologist)
Third Advisor
Yu, Yeon Jung
Abstract
This research explores how gestational carrier bloggers negotiate social exchanges and their role within their relationship with intended parents. Gestational carriers are part of an arrangement in third-party reproduction in which their role is to carry a pregnancy for intended parents. This research is vital due to the high cost of reproductive technology and the shifting landscape around the legalities of surrogacy that create an unstable framework for a successful exchange and its powerful application to industry regulation. This research utilized a mixed method content analysis of blogs. Ten participants provided blogs and participated in interviews. I argue that there are five key points of uncertainty in the surrogacy exchange: (1) becoming a gestational carrier, (2) matching and contracts, (3) embryo transfers and confirmed pregnancy, (4) labor and delivery, and (5) life after labor. This finding shows where in the exchange uncertainty is and the exchange is most vulnerable to failure. I argue that uncertainty can be reduced by the mediators - surrogacy agencies, legal contracts, and medical personnel - to create a positive exchange experience with the possibility of a relationship outside the negotiated exchange. Future research should explore the application of the Social Exchange Theory from the perspective of intended parents and the mediators of the exchange, including surrogacy agencies, lawyers and contracts, and medical personnel.
Type
Text
Keywords
Blogs, Gestational Carrier, Social Exchange Theory, Surrogate, Surrogacy, United States
Publisher
Western Washington University
OCLC Number
1342604877
Subject – LCSH
Surrogate mothers--Blogs; Surrogate mothers--Legal status, laws, etc.; Family planning services--Law and legislation; Social exchange
Format
application/pdf
Genre/Form
masters theses
Language
English
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Recommended Citation
Whalen, Samantha, "Gestational Carrier Bloggers: Key Points of Uncertainty in the Social Exchange with Intended Parents" (2022). WWU Graduate School Collection. 1137.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/1137